Characteristics and Outcomes Based on Perceived Illness Severity in SARS-CoV-2

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Critical Care Medicine
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic created global uncertainty due to limited real-world clinical data.
• Understanding factors associated with intensive care unit (ICU) admission is crucial for managing SARS-CoV-2 patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess whether admission patient characteristics were associated with the need for ICU care in SARS-CoV-2 patients.
• To identify clinical differences between SARS-CoV-2 inpatients who required ICU admission and those who did not.

Main Methods:

• An observational study included consecutive SARS-CoV-2 patients admitted between March 6, 2020, and March 31, 2020.
• Comparisons were made between patients who required ICU admission and those who did not, analyzing demographic, clinical, and laboratory data.

Main Results:

• Of 156 admitted patients, 42 (26.9%) required ICU admission. No significant differences in age, race/ethnicity, or comorbidities were observed.
• Patients needing ICU care had lower serum albumin and lymphocyte counts, and higher liver function tests, white blood cell count, and absolute neutrophil count on admission.
• ICU patients experienced longer hospital stays (10.2 vs. 5.1 days) and generally poorer outcomes, with a higher mortality rate at the time of data extraction.

Conclusions:

• This study, the largest assessing clinical differences based on ICU need in SARS-CoV-2 inpatients, found few major clinical variable differences between patient subsets.
• Outcomes for patients admitted to the ICU were generally poor.
• Further research is needed to elucidate specific predictors of critical illness in SARS-CoV-2 patients.