Study of Characteristics of COVID-19 Patients with Fatal Outcome during Wave-2 from a Tertiary Care Center in Western India

Background: A large surge of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions leading to mortal outcome was observed in wave-2 of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to the higher virulence of the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus, which led to the scarcity of resources in hospitals. This study was done to observe the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients with fatal outcome. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study in adults with COVID-19 pneumonia having fatal outcome during wave-2 of COVID-19, and their clinical characteristics were studied. Results: Out of 136 patients included in the study, the most common risk factors leading to adverse outcome were in the male gender, age (middle and elderly), with hypertension and diabetes mellitus (DM) as predominant comorbidities, early onset dyspnea, high C-reactive protein (CRP), high neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), high D-dimer, bilateral lower zone involvement of lungs in chest X-ray (CXR), and development of acute kidney injury (AKI). Conclusion: The characteristics of the severely ill COVID-19 patients highlighted in the study could help clinicians in the early identification and management of high-risk patients. This study would help with resource planning and preparation for further COVID-19 waves and future pandemics.