ABSTRACT
Background: To evaluate the association between ventilator type and hospital mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) related to COVID-19 (SARS-CoV2 infection) during the first wave of the disease in France.Methods: We retrospectively included consecutive adults admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a university-affiliated tertiary hospital for ARDS related to proven COVID-19, between March and May 2020. All patients were intubated. We compared two patient groups defined by whether an ICU ventilator or a less sophisticated ventilator such as a transport ventilator was used. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were plotted. Cox multivariate regression was performed to identify associations between patient characteristics and hospital mortality.Results: We included 82 patients (61 [74.4%] men) with a median age of 64 years [55–74], of whom 23 (28.1%) died before hospital discharge. By multivariate analysis, factors associated with in-hospital mortality were older age (HR, 1.06/year; 95%CI, 1.00–1.11; P=0.05) and diabetes mellitus (HR, 3.32; 95%CI, 1.13–9.76; P=0.03) but not ventilator type. Using non-ICU ventilator was associated neither with a longer duration of invasive mechanical ventilation (20 [12-36] vs. 25 [15-31] days; P=0.87) nor with a longer ICU stay (24 [14-40] vs. 27 [15-37] days; P=0.64).Conclusions: In patients with ARDS due to COVID-19, the use of non-ICU ventilators, such as transport ventilators, was not associated with worse outcomes. Although prospective data are needed to confirm our findings, this study suggests that transport ventilators may be valuable during COVID-19 surges that overwhelm ICU resources.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
ObjectivesIn severe COVID-19 pneumonia, the appropriate timing and dosing of corticosteroids(CS) is not known. Patient subgroups for which CS could be more beneficial also need appraisal. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of early CS in COVID-19 pneumonia patients admitted to the ICU on the occurrence of 60-day mortality, ICU-acquired-bloodstream infections(ICU-BSI), and hospital-acquired pneumonia and ventilator-associated pneumonia(HAP-VAP).MethodsWe included patients with COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to 11 ICUs belonging to the French OutcomeReaTM network from January to May 2020. We used survival models with ponderation with inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). Inflammation was defined as Ferritin >1000 µg/l or D-Dimers >1000 µg/l or C-Reactive Protein >100 mg/dL.ResultsThe study population comprised 302 patients having a median age of 61.6(53-70) years of whom 78.8% were male and 58.6% had at least one comorbidity. The median SAPS II was 33(25-44). Invasive mechanical ventilation was required in 34.8% of the patients. Sixty-six (21.8%) patients were in the Early-CS-subgroup. Most of them (n=55, 83.3%) received high doses of steroids. Overall, 60-day mortality was 29.4%. The risks of 60-day mortality (IPTWHR =0.88;95% CI 0.55 to 1.39, p=0.58), ICU-BSI and HAP-VAP were similar in the two groups. Importantly, early CS treatment was associated with a lower mortality rate in patients aged 60 years or more (IPTWHR, 0.51;95% CI, 0.29 – 0.91; p=0.02). But, CS was associated with an increased risk of death for the patients younger than 60 years without inflammation on admission (IPTWHR =8.17;95% CI, 1.76, 37.85; p=0.01).ConclusionFor patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, early CS treatment was not associated with patient survival. Interestingly, inflammation and age can significantly influence the effect of CS.