March 31, 2020

Covid-19 in Critically Ill Patients in the Seattle Region—Case Series

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Clinical Characteristics and Health Care Setting

• This multicenter case study in the Seattle region describes the clinical outcomes of 24 critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. The majority had chronic illness prior to admission. Seventy-five percent of these patients needed mechanical ventilation and the case fatality rate was 50%. These findings highlight the importance of planning for mass critical care during the pandemic. 
• Additionally, only half had fever at the time of hospital admission, which suggests that diagnostic algorithms that require fever for COVID-19 testing may delay diagnosis and treatment. 

Bhatraju et al. (Mar 30, 2020). Covid-19 in Critically Ill Patients in the Seattle Region—Case Series. NEJM. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2004500