The Association of Timing of Tracheostomy and Survival of Patients with COVID-19.

Tracheostomy is performed for critically ill patients with prolonged endotracheal intubation including COVID-19 to mitigate the risk of airway complications. We analyzed the difference in mortality of COVID-19 patients undergoing early tracheostomy within 14 days of intubation compared to later tracheostomy than 14 days after intubation. The mortality was not significantly higher in early tracheostomy compared to later tracheostomy.

Hospital factor and prognosis of COVID-19 in New York City, the United States of America: insights from a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: April 22nd, 2020, New York City (NYC) was the epicenter of the pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the US with differences of death rates among its 5 boroughs. We aimed to investigate the difference in mortality associated with hospital factors (teaching versus community hospital) in NYC. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: We obtained medical records of 6509 hospitalized patients with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 from the Mount Sinai Health System including 4 teaching hospitals in Manhattan and 2 community hospitals located outside of Manhattan (Queens and Brooklyn) retrospectively. Propensity score analysis using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) with stabilized weights was performed to adjust for differences in the baseline characteristics of patients initially presenting to teaching or community hospitals, and those who were transferred from community hospitals to teaching hospitals. RESULTS: Among 6509 patients, 4653 (72.6%) were admitted in teaching hospitals, 1462 (22.8%) were admitted in community hospitals, and 293 (4.6%) were originally admitted in community and then transferred into teaching hospitals. Patients in community hospitals had higher mortality (42.5%) than those in teaching hospitals (17.6%) or those transferred from community to teaching hospitals (23.5%, P < 0.001). After IPTW-adjustment, when compared to patients cared for at teaching hospitals, the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of mortality were as follows: community hospitals 2.47 (2.03-2.99); transfers 0.80 (0.58-1.09)). CONCLUSIONS: Patients admitted to community hospitals had higher mortality than those admitted to teaching hospitals.

The association between famotidine and in-hospital mortality of patients with COVID-19.

Famotidine has been considered to be a potential treatment for COVID-19 but the current data is conflicting. This retrospective study was conducted by utilizing data of 9565 COVID-19 hospitalized patients. Patients treated with and without famotidine were matched by propensity score using a 1:1 matching scheme. A total of 1593 patients (16.7%) received famotidine. In-hospital mortality was similar in patients treated with and without famotidine in the propensity-matched cohorts (28.3% vs. 28.2%, p = 0.97), which remains similar irrespective of severity or concomitant treatment by steroids. Famotidine treatment was not associated with a lower risk of in-hospital mortality of COVID-19 patients.

The effect of obesity on in-hospital mortality among patients with COVID-19 receiving corticosteroids.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Obesity has been reported to be one of the most frequent comorbidities in COVID-19 patients and associated with higher rates of in-hospital mortality compared to non-obese patients. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is also known to be a complication associated with obesity in critically-ill COVID-19 patients. We aimed to investigate whether obesity was associated with increased risk of in-hospital mortality and AKI among patients with COVID-19 treated with corticosteroids. METHODS: We utilized 9965 hospitalized COVID-19 patient data and divided patients who were treated with corticosteroids into 6 groups by body mass index (BMI) (less than 18.5, 18.5-25, 25-30, 30-35, 35-40, 40 kg/m2 or greater). The association between BMI and in-hospital mortality and between BMI and incidence rate of AKI during admission among COVID-19 patients receiving corticosteroids were retrospectively investigated. RESULTS: There were 4587 study participants receiving corticosteroids (mean age 66.5 ± 15.5 years, men 56.6%, mean BMI 29.0 ± 7.2 kg/m2). The smooth spline curve suggested a J-shape association between BMI and in-hospital mortality. Patients with BMI above 40 kg/m2 exhibited a higher in-hospital mortality and higher incidence rate of AKI during admission compared to patients with BMI between 25 and 30 kg/m2. The differences in in-hospital mortality and the rate of AKI were larger among patients with severe COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Class III obesity was associated with high in-hospital mortality and AKI in patients with COVID-19 treated by corticosteroids. Clinicians must stay vigilant on the impact of class III obesity and development of AKI to disease trajectory of COVID-19 patients.

The association of statins use with survival of patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Statins are frequently prescribed for patients with dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus. These comorbidities are highly prevalent in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Statin's beneficial effect on mortality in COVID-19 infection has been reported in several studies. However, these findings are still inconclusive. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study among 6,095 patients with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 hospitalized in Mount Sinai Health System between March 1st 2020 and May 7th 2020. Patients were stratified into two groups: statin use prior to or during hospitalization (N = 2,423) versus no statins (N = 3,672). We evaluated in-hospital mortality as a primary outcome using propensity score matching and inverse probability treatment weighted (IPTW) analysis. In additional analysis, we compared continuous use of statins (N = 1,108) with no statins, continuous use of statins with discontinuation of statins (N = 644), and discontinuation of statins with no statins. RESULTS: Among 6,095 COVID-19 patients, statin use prior to or during hospitalization group were older (70.8 ± 12.7 years versus 59.2 ± 18.2 years, p<0.001) and had more comorbidities compared to no statins group. After matching by propensity score (1,790 pairs), there were no significant differences in-hospital mortality between patients with statins and those without [28.9% versus 31.0%, p = 0.19, odds ratio (OR) 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.91 (0.79-1.05)]. This result was confirmed by IPTW analysis [OR (95% CI): 0.96 (0.81-1.12), p = 0.53]. In the additional analysis comparing continuous use of statins with no statins group, in-hospital mortality was significantly lower in continuous use of statins compared to no statins group [26.3% versus 34.5%, p<0.001, OR (95% CI): 0.68 (0.55-0.82)] after matching by propensity score (944 pairs), as well as IPTW analysis [OR (95% CI): 0.77 (0.64-0.94), p = 0.009]. Finally, comparison of continuous use of statins with discontinuation of statins showed lower in-hospital mortality in continuous use of statins group [27.9% versus 42.1%, p<0.001, OR (95% CI): 0.53 (0.41-0.68)]. CONCLUSIONS: Use of statins prior to or during hospitalization was not associated with a decreased risk of in-hospital mortality, however, continuous use of statins was associated with lower in-hospital mortality compared to no statin use and discontinuation of statins.

The association of COVID-19 antibody with in-hospital outcomes in COVID-19 infected patients.

We aimed to investigate whether hospitalizations of patients who tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) antibodies are associated with reduced in-hospital mortality. Of the 2459 patients admitted due to COVID-19 and tested for antibodies, 937 (38.1%) had positive tests. After adjustment for patient characteristics and treatments, patients with positive COVID-19 antibody test had lower in-hospital mortality compared with those with negative test results (odds ratio [OR]: 0.62; 95% confidential interval [95% CI] 0.46-0.83, p = 0.001). In conclusion, positive COVID-19 antibody test results were associated with the reduced risk of in-hospital mortality for COVID-19 patients.

The Association of Timing of Tracheostomy and Survival of Patients with COVID-19

Tracheostomy is performed for critically ill patients with prolonged endotracheal intubation including COVID-19 to mitigate the risk of airway complications. We analyzed the difference in mortality of COVID-19 patients undergoing early tracheostomy within 14 days of intubation compared to later tracheostomy than 14 days after intubation. The mortality was not significantly higher in early tracheostomy compared to later tracheostomy

Prediction of in-hospital mortality with machine learning for COVID-19 patients treated with steroid and remdesivir.

We aimed to create the prediction model of in-hospital mortality using machine learning methods for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treated with steroid and remdesivir. We reviewed 1571 hospitalized patients with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 from the Mount Sinai Health System treated with both steroids and remdesivir. The important variables associated with in-hospital mortality were identified using LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) and SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) through the light gradient boosting model (GBM). The data before February 17th, 2021 (N = 769) was randomly split into training and testing datasets; 80% versus 20%, respectively. Light GBM models were created with train data and area under the curves (AUCs) were calculated. Additionally, we calculated AUC with the data between February 17th, 2021 and March 30th, 2021 (N = 802). Of the 1571 patients admitted due to COVID-19, 331 (21.1%) died during hospitalization. Through LASSO and SHAP, we selected six important variables; age, hypertension, oxygen saturation, blood urea nitrogen, intensive care unit admission, and endotracheal intubation. AUCs using training and testing datasets derived from the data before February 17th, 2021 were 0.871/0.911. Additionally, the light GBM model has high predictability for the latest data (AUC: 0.881) (https://risk-model.herokuapp.com/covid). A high-value prediction model was created to estimate in-hospital mortality for COVID-19 patients treated with steroid and remdesivir.

Prophylactic versus therapeutic anticoagulation for survival of patients with COVID-19 on steroid.

Previous observational and randomized studies suggested potential benefit of therapeutic anticoagulation during hospitalization, but this treatment remains controversial. As of June 30th 2021, steroids is the standard treatment of COVID patients. We aimed to investigate the association of prophylactic and therapeutic anticoagulation with mortality for patients with COVID-19 who were treated with steroids. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 2533 patients discharged between March 1st, 2020 and March 30th, 2021, with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in the Mount Sinai Health System and treated with steroids. We evaluated the effect of therapeutic versus prophylactic anticoagulation on the outcomes using propensity score analyses. Subgroup analyses were conducted by stratification of patients by endotracheal intubation. Among the 2533 eligible patients, 465 (18.4%) received therapeutic anticoagulation. After 1:1 propensity score matching (N = 383 pairs), in-hospital mortality was similar between those with therapeutic versus prophylactic anticoagulation (36.0% versus 30.0%, P = 0.091). In-hospital mortality regardless of endotracheal intubation were not significantly different between the two groups. Therapeutic anticoagulation was not associated with reduced or increased risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19 treated with steroids.

The association of remdesivir and in-hospital outcomes for COVID-19 patients treated with steroids.

BACKGROUND: Remdesivir has been shown to decrease SARS-CoV-2 viral loads and the duration of COVID-19 symptoms. However, current evidence regarding the association between remdesivir and in-hospital mortality for patients with COVID-19 steroid treatments is limited. We aimed to investigate whether remdesivir reduces in-hospital mortality among patients with COVID-19 treated with steroids. METHODS: In this retrospective multicentre study, we reviewed the medical records of 3372 patients discharged between 1 March 2020 and 30 March 2021, with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 in the Mount Sinai Health System and treated with steroids. We evaluated the effect of remdesivir on the outcomes using propensity score analyses. Subgroup analyses were conducted by stratification of patients by endotracheal intubation and COVID-19 antibody status. Acute kidney injury (AKI) was defined as an absolute serum creatinine increase of 0.3 mg/dL or a relative increase of 50%. RESULTS: Of the 3372 eligible patients, 1336 (39.6%) received remdesivir. After 1:1 propensity score matching (N = 999 pairs), in-hospital mortality was similar between those with and without remdesivir (21.4% versus 21.6%, respectively, P = 0.96). Remdesivir was not significantly associated with in-hospital mortality regardless of endotracheal intubation or COVID-19 antibody status. However, there was a signal that remdesivir was associated with a reduced risk of AKI in the propensity matched analysis (17.5% versus 23.4%, respectively, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Remdesivir was not associated with reduced risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19 treated with steroids but potentially associated with decreased risk of AKI. These findings should be confirmed in prospective studies focusing on COVID-19 patients treated with steroids.

U shape association of hemoglobin level with in-hospital mortality for COVID-19 patients.

Our hypothesis was that high hemoglobin (Hb) level might be associated with hypercoagulable state and death due to COVID-19. Of the 9467 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, patients were subdivided into 5 groups based on the level of Hb; Hb < 10 g/dL, 10 g/dL ≤ Hb < 12 g/dL, 12 g/dL ≤ Hb < 14 g/dL, 14 g/dL ≤ Hb < 16 g/dL, and Hb ≥ 16 g/dL. Compared to patients with 12 g/dL ≤ Hb < 14 g/dL, patients with Hb ≥ 16 g/dL had significantly higher adjusted in-hospital mortality (OR [95% CI] 1.62 [1.15-2.27], P = 0.005).

The characteristics and outcomes of critically Ill patients with COVID-19 who received systemic thrombolysis for presumed pulmonary embolism: an observational study.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with abnormal hemostasis, autopsy evidence of systemic microthrombosis, and a high prevalence of venous thromboembolic disease. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) has been used in patients with critically ill COVID-19 with high clinical suspicion of pulmonary embolism (PE). A retrospective cohort study of 6095 hospitalized COVID-19 patients at 5 acute care hospitals in New York was conducted. 57 patients received tPA for presumed PE during March 10th to April 27th. The mean age was 60.8 ± 10.8 years, and 71.9% (41/57) were male. We defined strongly suspected PE among 75.4% (43/57) of patients who had acute worsening of hypoxia and acute hypotension requiring pressors. The findings suggestive of PE included right ventricular (RV) strain in 15.8% (9/57), deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in 7.0% (4/57), increased dead space ventilation (Vd) in 31.6% (18/57) of patients, respectively. RV strain and RV thrombus were present in 3.5% (2/57), RV strain and DVT in 5.3% (3/57), RV strain and increased Vd in 8.8% (5/57), and DVT and increased Vd in 3.5% (2/57) of patients. Chest CT Angiography was not performed in any of the patients. Following tPA infusion, 49.1% (28/57) of patients demonstrated improvement. Six patients (10.5%) survived to discharge, of whom 2 received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and were transferred to other facilities for lung transplant, 2 were discharged home, and 2 were discharged to a rehabilitation facility. However, overall mortality was 89.5%. The utility of tPA for critically ill patients with COVID-19 and presumed PE warrants further studies.

Timing of Intubation and In-Hospital Mortality in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether increasing time between admission and intubation was associated with mortality in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 who underwent mechanical ventilation. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection who were admitted between January 30, 2020, and April 30, 2020, and underwent intubation and mechanical ventilation prior to May 1, 2020. Patients were followed up through August 15, 2020. SETTING: Five hospitals within the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, NY. PATIENTS: Adult patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection who underwent intubation and mechanical ventilation. INTERVENTIONS: Tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. A hospital-stratified time-varying Cox model was used to evaluate the effect of time from admission to intubation on in-hospital death. A total of 755 adult patients out of 5,843 admitted with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection underwent tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation during the study period. The median age of patients was 65 years (interquartile range, 56-72 yr) and 64% were male. As of the time of follow-up, 121 patients (16%) who were intubated and mechanically ventilated had been discharged home, 512 (68%) had died, 113 (15%) had been discharged to a skilled nursing facility, and 9 (1%) remained in the hospital. The median time from admission to intubation was 2.3 days (interquartile range, 0.6-6.3 d). Each additional day between hospital admission and intubation was significantly associated with higher in-hospital death (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.05). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 who were intubated and mechanically ventilated, intubation earlier in the course of hospital admission may be associated with improved survival.