Epidemiological characteristics, baseline clinical features, and outcomes of critically ill patients treated in a coronavirus disease 2019 tertiary center in continental Croatia
Aim To describe epidemiological characteristics and base
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line clinical features, laboratory findings at intensive care
unit (ICU) admission, and survival rates of critically ill coro
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navirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients treated at a ter
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tiary institution specialized for COVID-19 patients.
Methods This retrospective study recruited 692 patients
(67.1% men). Baseline demographic data, major comorbid
-
ities, anthropometric measurements, clinical features, and
laboratory findings at admission were compared between
survivors and non-survivors.
Results The median age was 72 (64-78) years. The median
body mass index was 29.1 kg/m
2
. The most relevant comor
-
bidities were diabetes mellitus (32.6%), arterial hyperten
-
sion (71.2%), congestive heart failure (19.1%), chronic kid
-
ney disease (12.6%), and hematological disorders (10.3%).
The median number of comorbidities was 3 and median
Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was 5. A total of 61.8%
patients received high-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNO)
and 80.5% received mechanical ventilation (MV). Median
duration of HFNO was 3, and that of MV was 7 days. ICU
mortality rate was 72.7%. Survivors had significantly lower
age, number of comorbidities, CCI, sequential organ failure
assessment score, serum ferritin, C-reactive protein, D-dim
-
er, and procalcitonin, interleukin-6, lactate, white blood cell,
and neutrophil counts. They also had higher lymphocyte
counts, Pa
O
2
/FiO
2
ratio, and glomerular filtration rate at ad
-
mission. Length of ICU stay was 9 days. The median surviv
-
al was 11 days for mechanically ventilated patients, and 24
days for patients who were not mechanically ventilated.
Conclusion The parameters that differentiate survivors
from non-survivors are in agreement with published data.
Further multivariate analyses are warranted to identify in
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dividual mortality risk factor