Restricting activity and earlier oxygen supplementation may reduce adverse outcomes in patients with COVID‑19 (Review)

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) has spread rapidly worldwide and the number of confirmed cases and deaths is increasing rapidly. Approximately one quarter of patients infected with COVID‑19 require ICU care, and among these patients, the mortality increases to 49%. Comparative clinical studies have demonstrated that severe and critical disease in patients with COVID‑19 is associated with the time from the onset of symptoms to hospital admission. Similarly, an effective quarantine policy that isolates or hospitalizes diseased individuals as soon as possible, to limit their activity, is an important reason for the reduction in the rates of severe and critical disease in China. A number of patients with COVID‑19 present mild symptoms at the early stages, while subsequently experiencing rapid deterioration with severe pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Before the virus invades the lungs and hypoxemia occurs, it is necessary to increase the oxygen supply, which enables the body to fight the virus. Lower oxygen reserves, which are influenced by factors, such as excess activity or changes in vital signs, can increase oxygen consumption, and shifts in the balance of oxygen supply and demand and can lead to critical illness and death. The present review article discusses whether early oxygen supplementation, and reducing the oxygen demand may result in a better prognosis of patients with COVID‑19.