Non-invasive Ventilation Versus High Flow Oxygen (HFO)

April 13, 2026 updated by: Niguarda Hospital

Non-invasive Ventilation Versus High Flow Oxygen Through Nasal Cannula in Pneumonia Associated Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure

The purpose of the study is to compare the efficacy of alternating Non Invasive Ventilation NIV and High Flow Oxygen HFO compared to High Flow Oxygen HFO alone on gas exchanges and prognosis in pneumonia-associated acute hypoxemic respiratory failure

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Both Non Invasive Ventilation (NIV) and High Flow Oxygen through nasal cannula (HFO) are widely used in the setting of hypoxemic respiratory failure of heterogeneous etiology, with no definitive evidence for the superiority of one technique on the other. The purpose of this study is to determine whether alternating NIV and HFO brings any advantage on gas exchanges and prognosis compared to the use of HFO alone in the homogeneous setting of pneumonia-associated acute hypoxemic respiratory failure

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
128

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of pneumonia based on at least two clinical/laboratory criteria and 1 radiologic criterion among the following:

    • Clinical criteria: fever, cough, purulent sputum, pulmonary examination positive for signs consistent with pneumonia
    • Laboratory criteria: leukocytosis (White blood cells >10000/mcL) or leukopenia (White blood cells < 4000/mcL), rise of the inflammatory markers
    • Radiologic criteria: consolidations at Chest X-ray or CT scan

  • Hypoxemic respiratory failure, based on all the following criteria

    • PaO2/FiO2 < 300 after at least 15 minutes conventional oxygen therapy with a FiO2 ≥ 50%
    • Respiratory Rate (RR) ≥ 25/min or need for use of accessory muscles
  • Informed consent to study participation

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age < 18 years
  • Hypercapnic respiratory failure (pCO2 > 60 mmHg at presentation) such as in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
  • Presence of another cause of hypoxemic respiratory failure - e.g. pulmonary embolism, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pulmonary oedema
  • Hemodynamic instability with necessity for use of inotropes and/or vasopressors
  • Indication for endotracheal intubation (ETI): Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) <8, agitation, device intolerance, respiratory arrest
  • Immunosuppression (chronic immunosuppressive therapy, clinical history positive for any immunodeficiency - congenital or acquired)
  • Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) and Do Not Intubate (DNI) indication
  • Tracheostomy
  • Nocturnal CPAP ventilation therapy
  • Any other condition which the clinician would considered an adjunctive risk for taking part in the study or that would not permit the participant to complete it

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: HFO
Continuous high flow oxygen through nasal cannula for 45 hours; longer if the clinical need persists
Device: High Flow Oxygen nasal cannula
High Flow Oxygen nasal cannula
Active Comparator: NIV/HFO
Alternating noninvasive ventilation (3 hours) and high flow oxygen through nasal cannula (3 hours) for 45 hours; longer if the clinical need persists
Device: High Flow Oxygen nasal cannula
High Flow Oxygen nasal cannula
Device: Noninvasive ventilation
In this arm, participants receive noninvasive ventilation through an interface (such as full face mask or oro-nasal mask) alternated with continuous high flow oxygen though humidified nasal cannula

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
PaO2/FiO2 improvement
Time Frame: at baseline and at 21 hours
Efficacy of alternating NIV and HFO compared to HFO alone in the determination of an improvement of PaO2/FiO2 at 21 hours compared to baseline PaO2/FiO2
at baseline and at 21 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Intensive Care admission
Time Frame: 30 days
Rate of admission to Intensive Care Unit in the two arms
30 days
Sensation of device comfort and dyspnoea
Time Frame: Baseline, at 21 hours, 45 hours and 30 days after beginning treatment. Optional measures can be taken at 1, 3 and 9 hours
Evaluation of subjective sensation of device comfort and dyspnoea in the two arms
Baseline, at 21 hours, 45 hours and 30 days after beginning treatment. Optional measures can be taken at 1, 3 and 9 hours
Time to downgrade to conventional oxygen therapy
Time Frame: 30 days
Total amount of hours in which the patient needs to be treated with noninvasive ventilation alternate to versus high flow oxygen through nasal cannula
30 days
In-hospital mortality
Time Frame: 30 days
Mortality rate in the 2 arms
30 days
New hospital admission
Time Frame: 30 days
Rate of a new hospital admission within 30 days
30 days
PaO2/FiO2 improvement
Time Frame: at baseline and at 45 hours
Efficacy of alternating NIV and HFO compared to HFO alone in the determination of a change in PaO2/FiO2 at 45 hours compared to baseline PaO2/FiO2
at baseline and at 45 hours
PaO2/FiO2 improvement
Time Frame: at baseline and at 30 days
Efficacy of alternating NIV and HFO compared to HFO alone in the determination of a change in PaO2/FiO2 at 30 hours compared to baseline PaO2/FiO2
at baseline and at 30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Niguarda Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 1, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 1, 2019

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 23, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 28, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 29, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 13, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 03-022018

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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