• Felipe Olivares, Daniel Muñoz, Alberto Fica, Ignacio Delama, Ignacia Alvarez, Maritza Navarrete, Eileen Blackburn, Pamela Garrido, Ricardo Wenger, and Juan Grandjean.
• SubDepartamento de Medicina, Hospital Base de Valdivia, Valdivia, Chile.
• Rev Med Chil. 2020 Nov 1; 148 (11): 1577-1588.

BackgroundDuring the first pandemic wave, Covid-19 reached Latin America cities.AimTo report clinical features and outcomes of a group of patients with Covid-19 admitted to a Chilean regional reference Center.Material And MethodsCases were identified by a compatible clinical picture and a positive PCR or serological test. Clinical features of patients were retrieved from medical records.ResultsForty-seven adult patients (45 diagnosed by PCR, 2 by serology) were admitted between epidemiological weeks 13 to 33, corresponding to 4.4% of total regional cases. Hospitalization occurred at a median of 10 days after onset of symptoms. Fifty one percent of patients had 60 years or more. Hypertension, obesity and diabetes mellitus were present in 57, 45 and 32 % of cases, respectively. Nineteen percent of patients had no comorbid condition nor were elderly. Two cases were women in their second trimester of pregnancy. Positive IgM or IgM/IgG results obtained by rapid serological testing, had limited sensitivity during the first week (67%). Seventeen patients (36.2%) were transferred to an intensive care unit (ICU) due to respiratory failure. Chest imaging demonstrated a classical COVID-19 pattern in 87%. By univariate analysis, admission to ICU was significantly associated with tachypnea and higher CALL (comorbidity, age, lymphocyte count and lactate dehydrogenase) score. Four patients died (rendering a hospital mortality of 8.5%) and length of stay was ≥ 14 days in 46.8% of patients. By univariate analysis, mortality was associated with immunosuppression and ICU admission.ConclusionsIn our regional Center, patients admitted with COVID-19 had usual risk factors and had a prolonged stay. Hospital mortality was associated with immunosuppression and ICU admission.

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