Daily Oxygenation Support for Patients Hospitalized With SARS-CoV-2 in an Integrated Health System

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Infectious Diseases
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Limited data exists on the daily and weekly progression of respiratory support needs during COVID-19 hospitalizations.
• Understanding these trends is crucial for assessing the clinical and economic impact of COVID-19.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the time course of oxygenation support methods used during COVID-19 hospitalizations.
• To provide a comprehensive epidemiologic profile of respiratory support utilization across various severities.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, multi-center observational cohort study.
• Included 15,361 consecutive COVID-19 hospitalizations across 25 Texas hospitals.
• Data sourced from the Society of Critical Care Medicine Discovery Viral Respiratory Illness Universal Study COVID-19 registry.

Main Results:

• Initially, most patients (44.0%) required nasal cannula oxygen support.
• The proportion of patients needing invasive mechanical ventilation increased significantly within the first few weeks.
• After 4 weeks, 69.9% of adult patients required intermediate or advanced respiratory support, including invasive mechanical ventilation.

Conclusions:

• A substantial majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients require escalating respiratory support during their hospital stay.
• These findings underscore the significant resource utilization and burden associated with COVID-19 care.
• Detailed data on oxygenation methods is vital for understanding care delivery mechanisms.