CLINICAL OBSERVATION OF HFNC USE ALONG WITH NON-REBREATHER MASK ON CRITICAL COVID-19 DIABETIC PATIENTS

Purpose: This study aimed to observe and compare the efficacy of High-flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC) with/without a non-rebreather mask (NRM) on ICU-admitted COVID-19 diabetic patients. Methodology: We collected epidemiological, biochemical, and clinical information from patients (diabetic = 136; non-diabetic = 104) admitted into four hospitals in Chattogram, Bangladesh. SPSS v25 was used to analyze the data with the Chi-Square, Fisher's Exact, and Independent Samples T-test. We also built regression models to find out the impact of the variables. Results: Most of the patients with fever (59.1%) and hypertension (68.3%) had diabetes. We also noticed diabetic patients stayed in ICU longer (9.06±5.70) than non-diabetic patients (7.41±5.11). Moreover, elevated creatinine level was found in most diabetic cases (70.4%). After only HFNC administration, the partial pressure of oxygen significantly improved in non-diabetic patients. However, both diabetic and non-diabetic patients were observed to have an almost equal partial pressure of oxygen after HFNC with NRM management. Patients with elevated blood sugar additionally needed NRM more than fivefold compared to those with normal blood sugar levels. Besides, age and hypertension were significantly associated with HFNC+NRM-treated diabetic patients. Future Implications: The results of this study imply that oxygen supply with HFNC and NRM may be beneficial for elderly/hypertensive diabetic patients with COVID-19-associated AHRF; and that increased blood glucose level could be a determinant for the need for HFNC + NRM treatment.