[Features and evolution of patients with COVID-19 who required mechanical ventilation]

The overall mortality of patients with COVID-19 admitted to intensive care units is approximately 40%.

To describe the characteristics of a cohort of patients with COVID-19 who required invasive mechanical ventilation due to severe hypoxemic acute respiratory failure at a general hospital in Santiago, Chile.

Review of medical records and follow up for 28 days of patients with COVID-19 confirmed by polymerase chain reaction who required invasive mechanical ventilation and who were admitted to the intensive care unit from March 24 to June 7, 2020.

Data from 152 patients aged 58 (interquartile range (IQR) 47-65 years (66% men) was analyzed. As of July 5, 36 (24%) had died, 75 (49%) were discharged, 10 (7%) were still on invasive mechanical ventilation, 11 (7%) remained with tracheostomy but without invasive mechanical ventilation, and 20 (13%) were hospitalized in a basic unit. The median time on invasive mechanical ventilation among extubated patients was 14 days (IQR 10-21) and 121 (80%) were in the prone position. Patients who died were older, had a higher frequency of diabetes mellitus and a higher driving pressure at 7 days than those discharged alive from the intensive care unit.

In this study mortality was lower than that reported in the first international studies, probably due to the selection of younger patients and greater knowledge of the disease.