Epidemiological aspects of critically ill Covid-19 patients: a non-concurrent cohort study

ABSTRACT

Objective: to analyze the epidemiological aspects and factors associated with the survival of critically ill patients diagnosed with Covid-19. Method: this is a non-concurrent cohort study with information from 205 critically ill Covid-19 patients. Results: the incidence and lethality of Covid-19 were, respectively, 60.3% and 46.8%. The mean survival time of patients was 21.8 days, and the factors associated with lower survival were high score on the Simplified Acute Physiology Score, shorter time on mechanical ventilation, altered level of consciousness, use of a central venous catheter, presence of coagulopathies and need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Patients on oxygen therapy by nasal cannula had better survival. Conclusion: there was a high incidence and lethality of the disease among critically ill patients. The lowest survival rate was related to indicators of greater severity of the clinical picture. The results support nurses in planning patient care to minimize the risk of death. © 2022 Online Brazilian Journal of Nursing This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license, which permits un-restricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.