Multicenter, retrospective, longitudinal study in consecutive adult COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory failure, requiring noninvasive respiratory support (NIRS) outside the intensive care unit (ICU) in 10 hospitals in Catalonia (Spain). Demographic, laboratory, clinical and noninvasive respiratory support data will be collected and analyzed according to the primary outcome (death or endotracheal intubation at day 28) and secondary outcomes (see the dedicated section).~During the hospitalization, patients were treated according to the standard procedures of the participating centers. This study is observational and no randomization have been performed.~Patients were followed up to either 28-days or hospital discharge if still hospitalized at day 28 from NIRS initiation.
COVID-19 pneumonia can cause severe acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. The usefulness of noninvasive respiratory support (NIRS), by means of nasal high-flow oxygen (NHFO), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), or noninvasive ventilation (NIV), established outside the intensive care unit, is unknown. The aim of this multicenter, retrospective, longitudinal study is to compare the effectiveness of these treatments to prevent death or endotracheal intubation at day 28, and what factors, related to the disease or to the characteristics of the treatment itself, can condition its success or failure.