Reevaluating Respiratory Support in Acute Respiratory Failure

There is a fundamental question in emergency medicine: Is high-flow nasal oxygen an appropriate alternative to noninvasive ventilation across varied presentations of acute respiratory failure? In this issue of JAMA, a multicenter, adaptive, randomized clinical trial, conducted by the RENOVATE Investigators and the BRICNet Authors, explored the noninferiority of high-flow nasal oxygen vs noninvasive ventilation in reducing endotracheal intubation or death within 7 days across 5 distinct acute respiratory failure patient groups, including a dedicated COVID-19 cohort.