Danielle Maue K

and 5 more

Introduction: This study aimed to determine if a respiratory therapist (RT)-driven high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) protocol could decrease duration of HFNC use, pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and hospital length of stay (LOS), and duration of continuous albuterol use in pediatric patients with critical asthma. Methods: This was a quality improvement project performed at a quaternary academic PICU. Patients admitted to the PICU between 2 and 18 years of age with a diagnosis of asthma requiring continuous albuterol and HFNC were included. Implementation of a RT-driven HFNC protocol [Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) 1] occurred in October 2017. Additional interventions included weaning continuous albuterol and HFNC simultaneously (PDSA 2; March 2019), adjusting HFNC wean rate (PDSA 3; July 2020), and a HFNC holiday (PDSA 4; October 2021). HFNC duration was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included LOS data and continuous albuterol duration. Noninvasive ventilation (NIV), invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), and 7-day PICU and hospital readmission rates were balancing measures. Results: 410 patients were included. Patient demographics and adjunct therapy use did not differ among the groups. HFNC duration decreased from 26.8 to 18.1 hours, both PICU and hospital LOS were decreased (41 to 31.8 hours, and 86.5 to 68 hours respectively) after PDSA 2. These outcomes remained stable during PDSA 3 and 4. Continuous albuterol duration and NIV use remained stable, while IMV use decreased throughout the study. Conclusions: An RT-driven HFNC protocol led to an improvement in clinical outcomes for pediatric patients with critical asthma without an increase in adverse events.