Clinical characters of COVID-19 patient in a Saudi intensive care unit: A single-center experience

Abstract

Objectives Address and assess the clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of King Saud Hospital Unaizah/Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Material and Methods A single-center observational retrospective study in King Saud Hospital, including 82 critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU, confirmed by positive polymerase chain reaction testing of nasopharyngeal specimens. Results The study was conducted on 82 COVID-19 patients from April to October 2020. The mean patient age was 58.48 years. Males were more affected by the virus, accounting for 74% of admissions. Hypertension was our patients’ most common chronic disease (45%). Most (82.9%) of the patients presented with a cough. Leukocytosis, high ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and D-Dimer were associated with an increased risk for mortality. Tocilizumab was associated with good outcomes among our patients. Conclusion In this retrospective study, hypertension and being male are more common factors for disease severity. Patients improved with early intervention with tocilizumab and antibiotics, and in most cases, non-invasive ventilation was associated with good outcomes.