High-flow cannulas will be required with current COVID-19 crisis, not only mechanical ventilators

COVID-19 is characterized by acute respiratory distress syndrome progression, which ranges from mild to severe. A percentage of critically ill patients will require endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation; therefore, Mexican engineers from different places have had the initiative of creating mechanical ventilators. Although artificial ventilator is one of the last resources for the most severely ill patients, there are patients who are on the verge of not meeting the criteria for intubation; if they are directly intubated, the opportunity for them to overcome the severe phase with high concentration supplemental oxygen would be be missed. Intubation per se induces lung damage, increases the risk of superinfection, and the number of days of ICU stay. Furthermore, non-selective use of artificial ventilators decreases the opportunity for patients who require a ventilator to survive and increases institutional care costs of both human and material resources.