POSITIVE ROLE OF CONTINUOUS POSITIVE AIRWAY PRESSURE FOR INTENSIVE CARE UNIT PATIENTS WITH SEVERE HYPOXAEMIC RESPIRATORY FAILURE DUE TO COVID-19 PNEUMONIA: A SINGLE CENTRE EXPERIENCE

In this cohort, CPAP was an effective treatment modality to improve hypoxaemia and prevent invasive ventilation in a substantial proportion of patients with severe respiratory failure. Accepting the small sample size, we also found raised biomarkers of inflammation (CRP and IL-6) and coagulopathy (D-Dimer) to be more useful predictors of CPAP responsiveness than the severity of hypoxaemia, and could help to guide intubation decisions in this clinical setting.