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COVID-19 in the intensive care unit: Unmasking the critical factors impacting patient survival

Srichawla, Bahadar S
Quast, Jared
Pacut, Peter
Sivakumar, Shravan
Garcia-Dominguez, Maria A
Belgrad, Jillian
Panda, Ashwin
Carbone, Sara
Sanders, Delia T
Min, Eli
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Abstract

In the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, intensive care units (ICUs) around the world have been pushed to their limits as they grapple with the effects of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus. Identifying prognostic factors that influence mortality in COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU could offer valuable insights for clinicians seeking to prevent disease progression. A retrospective analysis was conducted on COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU between January and September 2020. The analysis considered patient demographics, comorbidities, neurological and non-neurological symptoms, as well as laboratory markers. The multivariate logistic regression analysis aims to uncover associations between these factors and patient outcomes. Of the 387 patients included in this study, nearly half (48.5%) of the ICU patients succumbed to COVID-19. Factors that contributed to increased mortality included being 60 years of age or older, impaired consciousness, lung disease, elevated international normalized ratio (INR), and elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. Surprisingly, symptoms such as dizziness/lightheadedness, myalgia, and headache were associated with a higher likelihood of survival. In addition, elevated D-dimer and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, as well as lymphopenia, were more commonly observed in deceased patients. The study concluded that those who died in the ICU tended to be older, white, and burdened with more comorbidities and impaired consciousness. With the intriguing link between specific symptoms and survival, further research is essential to uncover the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms that influence ICU patient outcomes in the context of COVID-19.

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Srichawla BS, Quast J, Pacut P, Sivakumar S, Garcia-Dominguez MA, Belgrad J, Panda A, Carbone S, Sanders DT, Min E, Hayes NT, Bose A, Lee V, Ghasemi M. COVID-19 in the intensive care unit: Unmasking the critical factors impacting patient survival. J Investig Med. 2023 Dec;71(8):907-916. doi: 10.1177/10815589231191813. Epub 2023 Aug 31. PMID: 37485922.

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10.1177/10815589231191813
PubMed ID
37485922
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