RELATION BETWEEN OROTRACHEAL INTUBATION, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, BREATHING AND VOICE IN POST-COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Introduction COVID-19, an infectious disease with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations and intensities in the human body, it can cause respiratory and vocal disorders, with fatigue. Objective To verify the relation between biological Inflammatory markers D-dimers and C-Reactive Protein, Forced Vital Capacity, Maximum Phonation Time, vocal performance and fatigue, length of hospitalization period and gender of people affected by COVID-19 who were hospitalized, but did not use orotracheal intubation and compare with a group of post-COVID-19 patients with orotracheal intubation. Methods Data on D-dimers and C-Reactive Protein, spirometry, Maximum Phonation Time, performance and vocal fatigue were collected. The study included 42 adult people affected by COVID-19 who were hospitalized, 22 (52.4%) female and 20 (47.6%) male;23 (54.8%) critical cases composing the group with orotracheal intubation (average age 48.9 years old) and 19 (45.24%) severe cases in the group without orotracheal intubation (average age 49.9 years old). Results: hospital length of stay was significantly longer for the group with orotracheal intubation;D-dimers were significantly altered in all groups;correlations between maximum phonation times were positive and significant;correlations between maximum phonation times, vocal performance and fatigue were both negative and significant. Conclusion Patients with orotracheal intubation had longer hospital internment and increased D-dimers and were amazed that, whenever maximum phonation times decreased performance and vocal fatigue increased.