Secondary Infection in Severe and Critical COVID-19 Patients in China: A Multicenter Retrospective Study (preprint)

Background. Since 2020 COVID-19 pandemic became an emergent public sanitary incident. The epidemiology data and the impact on prognosis of secondary infection in severe and critical COVID-19 patients in China remained largely unclear.Methods. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of all adult patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted to ICUs from January 18th 2020 to April 26th 2020 at two hospitals in Wuhan, China and one hospital in Guangzhou, China. We measured the frequency of bacteria and fungi cultured from respiratory tract, blood and other body fluid specimens. The risk factors for and impact of secondary infection on clinical outcomes were also assessed. Results. Secondary infections were very common (86.6%) when patients were admitted to ICU for >72 hours. The majority of infections were respiratory, with the most common organisms being Klebsiella pneumoniae (24.5%), Acinetobacter baumannii (21.8%), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (9.9%), Candida albicans (6.8%), and Pseudomonas spp. (4.8%). Furthermore, the proportions of multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria and carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) were high. We also found that age ≥60 years and mechanical ventilation ≥13days independently increased the likelihood of secondary infection. Finally, patients with positive cultures had reduced ventilator free days in 28 days and patients with CRE and/or MDR bacteria positivity showed lower 28 day survival rate.Conclusions. In a retrospective cohort of severe and critical COVID-19 patients admitted to ICUs in China, the prevalence of secondary infection was high, especially with CRE and MDR bacteria, resulting in poor clinical outcomes.

The incidence, risk factors and prognosis of acute kidney injury in severe and critically ill patients with COVID-19 in mainland China: a retrospective study (preprint)

Background: Since the clinical correlates, prognosis and determinants of AKI in patients with Covid-19 remain largely unclear, we perform a retrospective study to evaluate the incidence, risk factors and prognosis of AKI in severe and critically ill patients with Covid-19.Methods: We reviewed medical records of all adult patients (>18 years) with laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) between January 23rd 2020 and April 6th 2020 at Wuhan JinYinTan Hospital and The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. The clinical data, including patient demographics, clinical symptoms and signs, laboratory findings, treatment [including respiratory supports, use of medications and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT)] and clinical outcomes, were extracted from the electronic records, and we access the incidence of AKI and the use of CRRT, risk factors for AKI, the outcomes of renal diseases, and the impact of AKI on the clinical outcomes.Results: Among 210 subjects, 131 were males (62.4%). The median age was 64 years (IQR: 56-71). Of 92 (43.8%) patients who developed AKI during hospitalization, 13 (14.1%), 15 (16.3%) and 64 (69.6%) patients were classified as stage 1, 2 and 3, respectively. 54 cases (58.7%) received CRRT. Age, sepsis, Nephrotoxic drug, IMV and elevated baseline Scr were associated with AKI occurrence. The renal recover during hospitalization among 16 AKI patients (17.4%), who had a significantly shorter time from admission to AKI diagnosis, lower incidence of right heart failure and higher P/F ratio. Of 210 patients, 93 patients deceased within 28 days of ICU admission. AKI stage 3, critical disease, greater age and minimum P/F <150mmHg independently associated with it.Conclusions: Among patients with Covid-19, the incidence of AKI was high. age , sepsis, nephrotoxic drug, IMV and baseline Scr were strongly associated with the development of AKI. Time from admission to AKI diagnosis, right heart failure and P/F ratio were independently associated with the potential of renal recovery. Finally, AKI KIDGO stage 3 independently predicted the risk of death within 28 days of ICU admission.

Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of 99 Cases of 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Pneumonia in Wuhan, China (preprint)

Background: Since December 2019, a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) associated pneumonia has emerged in Wuhan, China. The study aimed to further clarify the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 2019-nCoV pneumonia.Methods: 99 cases admitted to Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital during January 1 to 20, 2020 and confirmed by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) test were analyzed for epidemiological, demographic, clinical, radiological features, and laboratory data. Findings: Of the 99 patients with 2019-nCoV pneumonia, 49 (49%) had a history of exposure to the South China Seafood Wholesale Market. The average age of the patients was 62.85 ± 11.99 years, including 67 males and 32 females. 2019-nCoV was detected in all patients by RT-PCR, and some of them also by serological testing, and metagenomics sequencing analysis. 50 cases (50.51%) had chronic basic diseases. Patients had clinical manifestations of fever (83%), cough (82%), shortness of breath (31%), muscle aches (11%), headache (8%), fuzzy confusion (7%), chest pain (2%), and diarrhea (2%). According to imaging examination, 74 patients showed bilateral pneumonia (74.75%), 25 patients showed multiple mottled and ground-glass opacity, and 1 patient had pneumothorax. Most patients received antiviral, antibiotics, supportive treatments, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and had good prognosis. 17 patients developed acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and among them, 2 patients worsened in a short period of time and died of multiple organ failure.Interpretation: The infection of the 2019-nCoV can result in severe and even fatal respiratory disease like ARDS. It is very important to actively prevent complications and secondary infections, treat underlying diseases, and provide timely organ function support. Early diagnosis, early isolation, multiple treatment, and intervention of CRRT and ECMO when necessary can effectively reduce mortality caused by severe coronavirus pneumonia.Funding: National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2017YFC1309700)Declaration of Interest: The author reports no conflicts of interest in this work.Ethical Approval: The study was approved by Jinyintan Hospital Ethics Committee and written informed consent was obtained from all patients involved before enrolment.