Caracterización de pacientes con COVID-19 y falla respiratoria con requerimiento de cánula nasal de alto flujo a 2.600 m sobre el nivel del mar en Bogotá, Colombia

Objective

To characterize patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and respiratory failure requiring high-flow nasal cannula at 2600 m above sea level.

Design

Descriptive, cross-sectional.

Frame of reference

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can cause respiratory failure, an alternative for its management is high-flow nasal cannula, however, it is necessary to define which patients benefit from invasive mechanical ventilation and which from high-flow nasal cannula.

Patients

One hundred and thirty six patients hospitalized in Bogotá, with diagnosis of COVID-19.

Interventions

Non-invasive ventilatory support with high-flow nasal cannula and mechanical ventilation.

Measurements

Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, arterial and paraclinical gases at admission and on days 1, 2 and 3 in ICU, mortality in ICU.

Results

The 61.76% were men, mean age was 58.82 years, the most prevalent comorbidities were obesity (37.50%) and hypertension (33.82%). The 53.65% required invasive mechanical ventilation and mortality was 34.56%; the variable associated with the need for intubation was the lymphocyte count on admission. There was a significant statistical association between respiratory frequency, lactate, leukocytes, lymphocytes at admission and age with mortality.

Conclusions

In patients with COVID-19 who received oxygen by high-flow nasal cannula at 2600 m above sea level, male sex was predominant, comorbidities and mortality were higher in patients with COVID-19.