It remains unknown if pediatric patients failing initial noninvasive ventilation (NIV) experience worse clinical outcomes than those successfully treated with NIV or those primarily intubated.This was a single-center, retrospective review of patients admitted with acute respiratory failure to the University of Michigan pediatric intensive care or cardiothoracic ICUs and receiving NIV or invasive mechanical ventilation as first-line therapy.One hundred seventy subjects met inclusion criteria and were enrolled: 65 NIV success, 55 NIV failure, and 50 invasive mechanical ventilation alone. Of those failing NIV, median time to intubation was 1.8 (interquartile range [IQR]1-7) h. On multivariable regression, ICU-free days were significantly different between groups (NIV success: 22.9 ± 6.9 d; NIV failure: 13.0We demonstrated that critically ill pediatric subjects unsuccessfully trialed on NIV did not experience increased ICU length of stay or fewer ventilator-free days when compared to those on invasive mechanical ventilation alone, including in the pediatric ARDS subgroup. Our findings are predicated on a median time to intubation of2 h in the NIV failure group and the provision of adequate monitoring while on NIV.
