ABSTRACT
A worldwide pandemic of viral infection due to SARS-CoV-2 (and its resultant disease, COVID-19) has been ongoing since 2019. Martinique was affected by a major wave in summer 2021, with saturation of the health system forcing the implementation of home care management. We conducted a retrospective, observational study that included patients treated in the KOVIDHOM 972 program. We included adult patients with SARS-CoV2 hypoxemic pneumonia and requiring 4 L per minute or less of oxygen. In total, 418 were discharged to home with oxygen therapy after hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 hypoxemic acute pneumonia, and 416 were analyzed. Half (50.2%) were women. Mean age was 58.8 ± 13.0 years. Time from onset of symptoms to hospitalization was 9.1 ± 3.5 days, and average length of stay was 10.5 ± 7.4 days. Maximum oxygen flow during hospitalization was 6.9 ± 4.5 L/min in patients who did not require intensive care. Average oxygen flow at discharge was 1.8 ± 07 L/min. At 30 days after discharge, the readmission rate was 0.5% (95% CI: 0-1.18), and the death rate was 0.5% (95% CI 0-1.18). Our study shows a very low rate of readmission or death in COVID-19 patients discharged to home with oxygen therapy. These results highlight the possibility of safe home care in carefully selected patients. Such programs could be useful in pandemic or wide-scale emergency situations.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Respiratory Distress Syndrome , Respiratory Insufficiency , Adult , Humans , Female , Middle Aged , Aged , Male , SARS-CoV-2 , Retrospective Studies , Outpatients , Patient Discharge , Martinique , RNA, Viral , OxygenABSTRACT
Aim: To analyze the impact of obesity on cardiopulmonary response to exercise in people with chronic post-COVID-19 syndrome. Patients & methods: Consecutive subjects with chronic post-COVID syndrome 6 months after nonsevere acute infection were included. All patients received a complete clinical evaluation, lung function tests and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. A total of 51 consecutive patients diagnosed with chronic post-COVID-19 were enrolled in this study. Results: More than half of patients with chronic post-COVID-19 had a significant alteration in aerobic exercise capacity (VO2peak) 6 months after hospital discharge. Obese long-COVID-19 patients also displayed a marked reduction of oxygen pulse (O2pulse). Conclusion: Obese patients were more prone to have pathological pulmonary limitation and pulmonary gas exchange impairment to exercise compared with nonobese COVID-19 patients.
In this study, the cardiopulmonary response to exercise in people with chronic post-COVID-19 syndrome was analyzed. More than half of patients diagnosed with chronic post-COVID-19 had reduced exercise capacity 6 months after hospital discharge. In addition, patients with chronic post-COVID-19 syndrome who were overweight or obese displayed exaggerated hyperventilation along with an impairment of oxygenation at peak exercise.