ICU mortality of covid-19 patients – our experience

Overview

Objectives: To determinate characteristics of covid-19 patients in our ICU, to determinate mortality and presence of comorbidities considered as risk factor for severe course of disease.

Methods: Retrospective observation study in ICU with 5–8 beds. Population of 91 adults with covid-19 admitted to ICU.

Results: Median age was 67 years (38–88). Hypertension (56 patients, 61 %) and diabetes (35 patients, 38 %) were the most common comorbidities. 24 patients (26 %) were obese with BMI 30–40, 10 patients (11 %) with BMI > 40. Average SOFA score on admission was 3,5 (1–10). HFNO (high flow nasal oxygen) therapy was the highest ventilation support used in 14 (15 %) patients (while 9 (64 %) of them had limitation of therapy by order D.N.I.), NIV (non-invasive ventilation) in 17 (18 %) patients (9 of them (52 %) had limitation of therapy with order D.N.I.). Conditions of 37 (40 %) patients required intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation. Overall mortality in our cohort was 37 %. Mortality of patients with 2 or more comorbidities was 46 %, mortality of patients without comorbidities was 44 % (in total 4 patients with high age). The highest mortality was in the group of patients 80–90 years (89 %). Mortality in the group of patients younger than 50 years was surprisingly high (27 %), but these were 3 patients in total. Mortality of patients requiring IPV was 43 %.

Conclusion: Mortality of covid-19 patients in our ICU was 37 % which is much higher than mortality in the same period in 2019 and 2020 before the beginning of pandemic. Mortality increased with higher age. Almost all our patients had at least one of the comorbidities mentioned above.

Keywords:

age – mortality – comorbidities – COVID-19 – intensive care unit (ICU) – D.N.I. (do not intubate) – high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) therapy – invasive mechanical ventilation – non-invasive ventilation (NIV)