Influence of right ventricular structure and function on hospital outcomes in COVID-19 patients.

BACKGROUND: The impact of the right ventricular (RV) structure and function on the in-hospital outcomes in patients with COVID-19 infection has not been rigorously investigated. OBJECTIVES: The main aim of our study was to investigate in-hospital outcomes including mortality, ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, pressor support, associated with RV dilatation, and RV systolic dysfunction in COVID-19 patients without a history of pulmonary hypertension. METHODS: It was a single academic tertiary center, retrospective cohort study of 997 PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients. One hundred ninty-four of those patients did not have a history of pulmonary hypertension and underwent transthoracic echocardiography at the request of the treating physicians for clinical indications. Clinical endpoints which included mortality, ICU admission, need for mechanical ventilation or pressor support were abstracted from the electronic charts. RESULTS: Patients' mean age was 68+/-16 years old and 42% of the study population were females. COPD was reported in 13% of the study population, whereas asthma was 10%, and CAD was 25%. The mean BMI was 29.8+/-9.5 kg/m2. Overall mortality was 27%, 46% in ICU patients, and 9% in the rest of the cohort. There were no significant differences in co-morbidities between expired patients and the survivors. A total of 19% of patients had evidence of RV dilatation and 17% manifested decreased RV systolic function. RV dilatation or decreased RV systolic function were noted in 24% of the total study population. RV dilatation was significantly more common in expired patients (15% vs 29%, p = 0.026) and was associated with increased mortality in patients treated in the ICU (HR 2.966, 95%CI 1.067-8.243, p = 0.037), who did not need require positive pressure ventilation, IV pressor support or acute hemodialysis. CONCLUSIONS: In hospitalized COVID-19 patients without a history of pulmonary hypertension, RV dilatation is associated with a 2-fold increase in inpatient mortality and a 3-fold increase in ICU mortality.

Clinical Characteristics of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Who Have Gastrointestinal Bleeds Requiring Intervention: A Case-Control Study.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is widely recognized as a disease that affects the respiratory system, although it can also present with significant extrapulmonary symptoms. Very few studies have suggested an increased risk of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. This study aimed to elucidate the incidence, etiology, risk factors, and outcomes of clinically significant GI bleeding requiring endoscopic intervention in patients with COVID-19. Methods This is a case-control (1:2) retrospective analysis of all hospitalized adult patients with COVID-19 infection admitted between March 1, 2020, and January 5, 2021, in which we compared patients with upper and lower GI bleeds to those without. Cases are defined as patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who had a GI bleed requiring intervention while controls are defined as patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who did not have a GI bleed. Of 1002 patients admitted to the Albany Medical Center with COVID-19 infection, there were 76 confirmed cases of GI bleeding. These patients were compared to a control group composed of randomly selected patients with COVID-19 infection who were admitted to Albany Medical Center over the same time period. We assessed patients for in-hospital mortality, ventilator-free days on day 28, ICU-free days on day 28, and hospital-free days on day 28. Additional information collected included demographic information, comorbid conditions, COVID-19 treatments received, endoscopy findings, endoscopic treatment received, and if the patients required a packed red blood cell transfusion. Results Out of 1007 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, 76 (8%) had a GI bleed requiring endoscopic intervention. Peptic ulcer disease in the stomach or duodenum was the most common finding. The use of steroids, antiplatelet agents, and anticoagulation was not associated with an increased risk of GI bleed in COVID-19 patients. The GI bleed group required ICU care in 37% (28/76) compared with 21% (32/152) in the control group, which was statistically significant (p=0.012; chi-square test). Length of hospital stay was longer in the GI bleed group (median 16 days IQR: 8 to 29 versus 7 days, IQR:4 to 16; p<0.001, Mann Whitney test). Conclusion Length of hospital stay and ICU level of care was higher in the GI bleed group of patients with COVID-19. ICU level of care was noted to be associated with an increased risk of GI bleeding. A GI bleed in COVID-19 patients could be from the virus's direct effect on the gut mucosa or stress-induced bleeding like any other severely sick ICU patient; however, this needs to be explored in future studies.

Clinical Outcomes of Early Versus Late Intubation in COVID-19 Patients.

Background The implications of intubation timing in COVID-19 patients remain highly debatable due to the scarcity of available evidence. Objectives Our study aims to assess the clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients undergoing early intubation compared to those undergoing late intubation. Methods This is a single-center retrospective study of adult COVID-19 patients admitted between March 1, 2020 and January 10, 2021. Early intubation was defined as intubation within 24 hours of a) hospital admission; b) respiratory status deterioration requiring FiO2 60% and higher; or c) moderate/severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) diagnosis. Results Among the 128 COVID-19 patients included, 66.4% required early intubation, and 33.6% required late intubation. The 28-day all-cause mortality and other outcomes of mechanical ventilation duration, hospital and ICU length of stay were equal regardless of intubation timing. Clinical characteristics, inflammatory markers, COVID-19 therapies, PaO2/FiO2 ratio, and pH were comparable for both groups. Better lung compliance was observed during early intubation than late intubation based on plateau (mean 21.3 vs. 25.5 cmH2O; P < 0.01) and peak pressure (mean 24.1 vs. 27.4 cmH2O; P = 0.04). Conclusions In critically ill COVID-19 patients, the timing of intubation was not significantly associated with poor clinical outcomes in the setting of matching clinical characteristics. More research is needed to determine which subset of patients may benefit from intubation and the predictors for optimal intubation timing.