RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Improved survival following ward-based non-invasive pressure support for severe hypoxia in a cohort of frail patients with COVID-19: retrospective analysis from a UK teaching hospital JF BMJ Open Respiratory Research JO BMJ Open Resp Res FD British Thoracic Society SP e000621 DO 10.1136/bmjresp-2020-000621 VO 7 IS 1 A1 Graham P Burns A1 Nicholas D Lane A1 Hilary M Tedd A1 Elizabeth Deutsch A1 Florence Douglas A1 Sophie D West A1 Jim G Macfarlane A1 Sarah Wiscombe A1 Wendy Funston YR 2020 UL http://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/7/1/e000621.abstract AB Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in China in December 2019, a pandemic has rapidly developed on a scale that has overwhelmed health services in a number of countries. COVID-19 has the potential to lead to severe hypoxia; this is usually the cause of death if it occurs. In a substantial number of patients, adequate arterial oxygenation cannot be achieved with supplementary oxygen therapy alone. To date, there has been no clear guideline endorsement of ward-based non-invasive pressure support (NIPS) for severely hypoxic patients who are deemed unlikely to benefit from invasive ventilation. We established a ward-based NIPS service for COVID-19 PCR-positive patients, with severe hypoxia, and in whom escalation to critical care for invasive ventilation was not deemed appropriate. A retrospective analysis of survival in these patients was undertaken. Twenty-eight patients were included. Ward-based NIPS for severe hypoxia was associated with a 50% survival in this cohort. This compares favourably with Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre survival data following invasive ventilation in a less frail, less comorbid and younger population. These results suggest that ward-based NIPS should be considered as a treatment option in an integrated escalation strategy in all units managing respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19.