Association between high-flow nasal cannula use and mortality in patients with sepsis-induced acute lung injury: a retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study

Background High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) has emerged as a promising noninvasive method for delivering oxygen to critically ill patients, particularly those with sepsis and acute lung injury. However, uncertainties persist regarding its therapeutic benefits in this specific patient population. Methods This retrospective study utilized a propensity score-matched cohort from the Medical Information Mart in Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV) database to explore the correlation between HFNC utilization and mortality in patients with sepsis-induced acute lung injury. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality. Results In the propensity score-matched cohort, the 28-day all-cause mortality rate was 18.63% (95 out of 510) in the HFNC use group, compared to 31.18% (159 out of 510) in the non-HFNC group. The use of HFNC was associated with a lower 28-day all-cause mortality rate (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.41–0.69; P < 0.001). HFNC use was also associated with lower ICU mortality (odds ratio [OR] = 0.52; 95% CI = 0.38–0.71; P < 0.001) and lower in-hospital mortality (OR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.38–0.68; P < 0.001). Additionally, HFNC use was found to be associated with a statistically significant increase in both the ICU and overall hospitalization length. Conclusions These findings indicate that HFNC may be beneficial for reducing mortality rates among sepsis-induced acute lung injury patients; however, it is also associated with longer hospital stays.