• Internal medicine journal · Jul 2023

    An Australian COVID-19 Respiratory Care Unit Experience.

    • Emily Ward-Ambler, Peter Wallbridge, Kasha Singh, Alistair Miller, Louis B Irving, Renee Manser, Jeremy Goldin, Su Hii, Gary Hammerschlag, and Megan Rees.
    • Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
    • Intern Med J. 2023 Jul 1; 53 (7): 111511201115-1120.

    BackgroundCoronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with a heterogeneous presentation ranging from severe pneumonitis to asymptomatic infection. International studies have demonstrated the utility of respiratory care units (RCUs) to facilitate the delivery of non-invasive ventilation techniques to patients with COVID-19 pneumonitis.AimsThis study aims to describe the patient characteristics, flow and outcomes of admissions to the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) COVID-19 RCU (CRCU) during its initial period of operation.MethodsSingle-centre retrospective cohort study, all patients admitted to CRCU between 17 September and 10 December 2021 were included in this study. Patient demographics, including comorbidities and limitations of medical treatment, were analysed. Admission source and discharge destination were reviewed. Length of stay was recorded. Finally, in-hospital and CRCU mortality were analysed.ResultsNinety-seven patients, comprising 111 admissions, occurred during the study period with median age of 65 years (48% female). Most patients were admitted from and discharged to the ward. Twenty patients died in hospital (21%), with age, 4C score, comorbidity and presence of obstructive lung disease predicting mortality (area under the curve (AUC) 0.85, P < 0.001). Mortality was significantly higher in those over 65 years of age compared to those under 65 (P < 0.001), or those deemed not for intubation compared to those for intubation (P = 0.0019).ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the feasibility of operating a CRCU within an Australian tertiary healthcare setting.© 2023 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

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