Vitamin-D levels and intensive care unit outcomes of a cohort of critically ill COVID-19 patients.

OBJECTIVES: The pattern of global COVID-19 has caused many to propose a possible link between susceptibility, severity and vitamin-D levels. Vitamin-D has known immune modulatory effects and deficiency has been linked to increased severity of viral infections. METHODS: We evaluated patients admitted with confirmed SARS-COV-2 to our hospital between March-June 2020. Demographics and outcomes were assessed for those admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with normal (>50 nmol/L) and low (<50 nmol/L) vitamin-D. RESULTS: There were 646 SARS-COV-2 PCR positive hospitalisations and 165 (25.5%) had plasma vitamin-D levels. Fifty patients were admitted to ICU. There was no difference in vitamin-D levels of those hospitalised (34, IQR 18.5-66 nmol/L) and those admitted to the ICU (31.5, IQR 21-42 nmol/L). Higher proportion of vitamin-D deficiency (<50 nmol/L) noted in the ICU group (82.0 vs. 65.2%). Among the ICU patients, low vitamin D level (<50 nmol/L) was associated with younger age (57 vs. 67 years, p=0.04) and lower cycle threshold (CT) real time polymerase chain reaction values (RT-PCR) (26.96 vs. 33.6, p=0.02) analogous to higher viral loads. However, there were no significant differences in ICU clinical outcomes (invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation, acute kidney injury and mechanical ventilation and hospital days) between patients with low and normal vitamin-D levels. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the association of low vitamin-D levels with low CT values, there is no difference in clinical outcomes in this small cohort of critically ill COVID-19 patients. The complex relationship between vitamin-D levels and COVID-19 infection needs further exploration with large scale randomized controlled trials.

Conscious prone positioning during non-invasive ventilation in COVID-19 patients: experience from a single centre.

Critically ill patients admitted to hospital following SARS-CoV-2 infection often experience hypoxic respiratory failure and a proportion require invasive mechanical ventilation to maintain adequate oxygenation. The combination of prone positioning and non-invasive ventilation in conscious patients may have a role in improving oxygenation. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of prone positioning in spontaneously ventilating patients receiving non-invasive ventilation admitted to the intensive care.  Clinical data of 81 patients admitted with COVID 19 pneumonia and acute hypoxic respiratory failure were retrieved from electronic medical records and examined. Patients who had received prone positioning in combination with non-invasive ventilation were identified. A total of 20 patients received prone positioning in conjunction with non-invasive ventilation. This resulted in improved oxygenation as measured by a change in PaO 2/FiO 2 (P/F) ratio of 28.7 mmHg while prone, without significant change in heart rate or respiratory rate. Patients on average underwent 5 cycles with a median duration of 3 hours. There were no reported deaths, 7 of the 20 patients (35%) failed non-invasive ventilation and subsequently required intubation and mechanical ventilation. In our cohort of 20 COVID-19 patients with moderate acute hypoxic respiratory failure, prone positioning with non-invasive ventilation resulted in improved oxygenation. Prone positioning with non-invasive ventilation may be considered as an early therapeutic intervention in COVID-19 patients with moderate acute hypoxic respiratory failure.