COVID-19 patients hospitalized after the fourth wave of the pandemic period in Vietnam: Clinical, laboratory, therapeutic features, and clinical outcomes

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Despite having relatively high COVID-19 vaccine coverage in Vietnam, a fraction of COVID-19 patients required hospitalization due to severe symptoms. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical, laboratory, complications, and treatment of COVID-19 patients hospitalized during the pandemic's fourth wave. Methods: Genome sequencing was performed on COVID-19 patients. Data on clinical characteristics, treatment, complications, and outcomes were consistently collected. Results: The clinical classifications were mild (37.43%), moderate (24.2%), and severe (38.37%). Patients with co-morbidities, high fever >39 °C, hypertension, tachycardia, tachypnea, and SpO2<90%, had a 1.2–4 folds higher of severe progression than those with mild/moderate. Serious consequences were much more common in the severe patients than in the mild/moderate. The respiratory system of severe patients was generally documented as fine, coarse crackles, and CT scanner shown ground glass, consolidation, and opacity, with Delta variant accounting for 92.6%. Complications were common in the severe patients, including bacteria pneumonia (36.42%), ARDS (61.11%), blood clotting disorder (7.14%), infection (46.92%), and acute kidney injury (12.35%). Antiviral, antifungal, corticosteroid, anticoagulant, and ECMO regimens were utilized. Patients died mostly as a result of co-morbidities, low SpO2, lung injury, and complications such as bacterial + fungal pneumonia (83.9%), ARDS (83.9%), bacteremia (56.5%), injury acute renal failure (27.4%), and coagulopathy (12.9%). Conclusion: Severe and critical COVID-19 patients frequently have several comorbidities, multiple lung lesions along with a variety of clinical signs. Despite receiving antivirals, antibiotics, corticosteroids, anticoagulants, and even ECMO therapy, the patient encountered multiple complications, with a fatality rate of up to 38.27%.

Keywords

• Sars-Cov-2
• COVID-19
• Severe
• Variants
• Complications