Early prone positioning therapy for patients with mild COVID-19 disease

OBJECTIVE: In December 2019, Wuhan, China, experienced an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Some patients admitted to our hospital were treated with early prone positioning (PP). Here, we analyzed its clinical significance. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study. We defined the early PP group as mild COVID-19 patients who were placed into a prone position within 24 h of admission; others served as the control group. We recorded basic data and outcomes of early PP and compared the results to those of controls. RESULTS: After 1 day of treatment, oxygenation was greater in the early PP group than in the control group (P/F: 421.6 ± 39.74 vs. 382.1 ± 38.84 mmHg [1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa], p < 0.01). And early PP group spent less total time in prone position (11.1 ± 4.17 vs. 16.9 ± 5.20 days, p < 0.01), and required shorter hospitalization duration (12.2 ± 4.49 vs. 23.2 ± 4.83 days, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Early PP treatment can improve hypoxia and shorten the prone position time and hospitalization duration in mild COVID-19 patients. It is a potential clinically applicable intervention.