Clinical parameters and mortality in COVID-19 patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) in Qazvin, Iran

Background: The initial reports of an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia suggest that COVID-19 is associated with severe disease. Objective: We aimed to describe the clinical parameters and mortality of patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia admitted to intensive care Unit (ICU) of Velayat Hospital in Qazvin, Iran. Materials and methods: In this single-centered, cross-sectional and retrospective study, we enrolled all adult patients with COVID -19 disease who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Velayat Hospital between the periods from March 20 to April 30, 2020. Socio-demographic data, laboratory values, and the outcomes of disease were considered and collected. Data were compared between survivors and non-survivors. Results:  Of 1100 patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, 74 adult patients were included. The mean age of the 52 patients was 60.1±16.46 years. All patients had underlying diseases. The mean time from admission to discharge from the ICU was 12.39 ± 6.48 days. The logistic regression test indicated that the amount of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) during hospitalization in the intensive care unit was associated with increased mortality risk (OR = 1.081, 95% CI = 1.024-1.141, and P = 0.005)). Moreover, the same test showed that platelet count (OR: 0.991, 95%CI: 0.985-0.997; p=0.002) and hemoglobin concentration (OR: 0.691, 95% CI: 0.502-0.951; p=0.023) were associated with a decreased mortality risk in ICU patients; this means that patients with higher hemoglobin concentration and platelet counts had a lower mortality risk in ICU. Conclusion: mortality rate of patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia is considerable. The BUN level was a predictor of mortality in patients with COVID-19. Therefore, it is recommended that BUN be measured at the time of initial referral in order to conduct timely and appropriate corrective actions.