Abstract

Objective:

The patients admitted to coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) intensive care units (ICUs) with the suspicion of COVID-19 in the first four months of the pandemic were evaluated both in diagnostics and according to periods of the pandemic.

Materials and Methods:

The data of 1,430 patients admitted to the COVID-19 ICUs were recorded with the same algorithm in a single-center retrospectively. Patients were classified as COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients according to polymerase chain reaction results, radiological and clinical findings. Also, COVID-19 patients were compared as dying and surviving. Additionally, the data of patients admitted to COVID-19 ICUs during the onset of the pandemic and during the normalization period were also compared.

Results:

Of 1,430 patients, 630 were included in the COVID-19 group and 800 in the non-COVID-19 group. While there was a significant difference in the mean age of the groups, there was no difference between the genders (p=0.001, p=0.262 respectively). The age in the COVID-19 and deceased group was higher than that in the survivors (p<0.001). The most common presenting symptom was dyspnea (51.2%), while hypertension’s most common comorbidity (51.2%). During the normalization period, the rate of patients admitted to the ICU with the diagnosis of COVID-19 and the mortality rates in the ICU was higher.

Conclusion:

The initial period of the pandemic was spent understanding COVID-19, which entered our lives as a mystery at the same time. It was a guiding period for us to treat patients more effectively while protecting the community and healthcare professionals.

Keywords: COVID-19, intensive care unit, mechanical ventilator, high flow nasal oxygen, mortality

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Copyright and license

Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

How to cite?

1.
Kosovalı BD, Kocabeyoğlu GM, Mutlu NM, Tuncer Peker T, Soyal ÖB, Özkoçak Turan I. Results of 1,430 Patients Admitted to Intensive Care Unit with Suspicion of COVID-19 in Turkey’s Capital-Ankara: A Single Center Study. Turk J Intensive Care. 2022;20:14-30. https://doi.org/10.4274/tybd.galenos.2022.65487