Association of systemic complications with mortality in coronavirus disease of 2019: A cohort study on intensive care unit patients

Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID‑19) pandemic, concerns raised by the growing number of deaths worldwide. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and extrapulmonary complications can correlate with prognosis in COVID‑19 patients. This study evaluated the association of systemic complications with mortality in severely affected COVID‑19 patients.

This retrospective study was done on 51 intensive care unit (ICU)‑admitted COVID‑19 adult patients who were admitted to the ICU ward of Khorshid hospital, affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Only the patients who had a definite hospitalization outcome (dead vs. survivors) were included in the study. Daily clinical and paraclinical records were used to diagnose in‑hospital complications in these patients.

The sample was comprised of 37 males (72.5%) and 14 females (27.4%). The median age of patients was 63 years (Min: 20, Max: 84), with the mortality rate of 47.1%. In total, 70.6% of patients had at least one coexisting disorder. Chronic kidney disease was associated with the worse outcome (29.16% of dead patients against 3.70 of survived ones). Mechanical ventilation was used in 58.8% of patients. Patients who had received invasive ventilation were more likely to die (87.50% of dead patients against 7.40 of survivors), Complications including sepsis and secondary infections (odds ratio: 8.05, confidence interval: 2.11–30.63) was the strongest predictors of mortality.

Complications including sepsis and secondary infections can increase the risk of death in ICU‑admitted COVID‑19patients. Therefore, it is substantial that the physicians consider preventing or controlling these complications.