Investigating the correlation between demographic data, laboratory results, intubation, and mortality rate in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: A retrospective study (preprint)

ABSTRACT

Background COVID-19 is a highly contagious infectious disease that rapidly escalated into a pandemic. This coronavirus pandemic has been associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Multiple risk factors for severe, critical illness and death due to COVID-19 have been identified. This study investigated associations between demographic traits, laboratory test results, intubation status, and mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients.Methods In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 181 patients infected with COVID-19 who were admitted to Imam Reza Hospital in Tabriz, Iran, between March and September 2020 were reviewed using the census sampling method. Demographic data, laboratory results, and intubation history were extracted from the records. The data were analyzed using Chi-square, the independent samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U tests, and logistic regression using SPSS 27. P < 0.05 and the odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval were considered significant.Results Out of 181 patients infected with COVID-19, there were 110 (60.8%) males with a median age of 66 (16–96) years. There was a significant direct relationship between outcome and intubation, chest X-ray, CT-Scan, renal diseases, age, WBC, K, P, urea, Cr, and LDH, respectively (P < 0.0001, < 0.0001, 0.02, 0.01, < 0.0001, 0.002, 0.002, 0.008, < 0.0001, < 0.0001, and 0.008). In contrast, there was a significant inverse relationship between outcome and PH, HCO3, and SaO2 (P = 0.005, 0.002, and < 0.0001).Conclusion This study found that several factors increase the risk of mortality in patients infected with COVID-19, including intubation, abnormal lung CT and chest X-ray findings, underlying kidney disease, advanced age, and high levels of white blood cells, potassium, phosphorus, urea, creatinine, and lactate dehydrogenase. On the other hand, increased pH, bicarbonate, and oxygen saturation were protective factors against mortality. These results highlight important risk and protective factors for mortality in COVID-19 patients. The findings can inform clinical decision-making and resource allocation during future COVID-19 outbreaks and pandemics involving similar respiratory viruses.