• Gustaf Forsberg, Sören Berg, Anestis Divanoglou, Richard Levi, David Ekqvist, Åse Östholm Balkhed, and Katarina Niward.
• Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Linköping University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden.
• Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2022 May 1; 66 (5): 569-579.

BackgroundSurvival among critically ill COVID-19 patients varies between countries and time periods. Mortality rates up to 60% have been reported in intensive care units (ICUs). Standard-of-care has evolved throughout the pandemic. The purpose of the study was to explore management and mortality of COVID-19 ICU-patients during the first pandemic wave and assess their post-ICU health status.MethodsWe conducted an exploratory observational ambidirectional population-based study of ICU-patients with COVID-19 in a Swedish county during 1 March-30 June 2020. Primary outcome was 60-day mortality with secondary outcomes including treatments, complications, self-reported general health and dyspnoea post-discharge. Patients were consecutively divided into equal tertiles with cut-offs on April 4 and April 20, 2020, to analyse time trends.ResultsOne hundred patients, median age was 63 years, were included, and 60-day mortality rate was 22%. Ninety-one percent had moderate/severe ARDS and 88% required mechanical ventilation. In the first tertile of patients 60-day mortality was 33%, declining to 15% and 18% in the following two. This reduction paralleled increased use of thromboprophylaxis, less steep rise of treated ICU-patients per day and expanded ICU resources. Four months post-discharge, 63% of survivors reported self-assessed decline in general health retrospectively compared to prior COVID-19.ConclusionsIn this cohort, the initial 60-day mortality quickly declined, despite continuous admittance of critically ill patients. This was parallel to adaptation to increased workload and more intense thromboembolic prophylaxis. A majority of survivors reported declined general health four months after discharge. Further studies on long-term health status of ICU-survivors are indicated.© 2022 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

29 keywords...

hide…