Is HFNC noninferior to NIV for Acute Respiratory Failure?

Both NIV and HFNC are used to treat patients with acute respiratory failure.  Current guidelines recommend NIV for acute respiratory failure caused by COPD and acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema.  However, NIV may be hard for some patients to tolerate. When compared to low-flow oxygen therapy, HFNC has been shown to improve oxygenation, improve alveolar recruitment, and enhance clearance of secretions. HFNC may be easier to use and tolerate than NIV, but there remains uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of HFNC compared to NIV for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. In this podcast, we discuss the RENOVATE trial that sought to compare HFNC with NIV on rates of intubation in patients with acute respiratory failure.