Impact of prone position on outcomes of COVID-19 patients with spontaneous breathing

Abstract

Background In this study, we explored whether early application of the prone position (PP) can improve severe hypoxemia and respiratory failure in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with spontaneous breathing. Methods This is a prospective observational study of severe, critically ill adult COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit. All vital parameters were recorded in real time for all patients. Moreover, the results of chest computed tomography (CT), when available, were analyzed. Results PP was applied in 21 patients who were breathing spontaneously. The application of PP was associated with a significant increase in oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry (SpO2) from 82%±12% to 96%±3% (P0.05 for both). Conclusions Our study confirmed that the early application of PP can improve hypoxemia and tachypnea in COVID-19 patients with spontaneous breathing. Randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the beneficial effects of PP in COVID-19 patients with spontaneous breathing.

Keywords

• covid-19
• intensive care unit
• patient outcomes
• prone position
• respiratory distress