ICU admission of COVID-19 patients: Identification of risk factors

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackground The WHO has declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic with a rapidly increasing number of patients at a rate exceeding the limits of health-care resources. Some people seem to be at higher risk of worse prognosis and increased mortality. Identifying these vulnerable groups is a necessity.Aim of study To identify the risk factors associated with ICU admission in COVID-19 patients.Methodology We present a retrospective study where the clinical data of patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection were collected from Ain-Shams University Isolation-Hospital records on admission from 10 April 2020 to 30 July 2020 to identify risk factors in patients requiring ICU admission during hospital stay.Results Of 323 subjects diagnosed by the RT-PCR as positive COVID-19, 62 (19.2%) of which were admitted at the ICU. The mean age of the subjects was 46.6 ± 16 years. Significant morbidities were associated with higher age groups (p value 0.000), smokers (p value 0.004), Cairo-residents (p value 0.009), being a health-care provider (p value 0.001) and hypertensive patients (p value 0.000).Conclusions Elderly, smokers, diabetic and hypertensive need further attention during disease course. Our results call for further investigations of risk factors for COVID-19 severity; preferably on large prospective cohorts, to increase their validity.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• patient stratification
• prognosis
• hospital
• ICU
• severity