Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of severe (ICU) COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia: A single centre study

BACKGROUND: There is limited information describing the presenting features and treatment outcomes of intensive care unit (ICU) patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Saudi Arabia. OBJECTIVE: To investigates the clinical, epidemiological, laboratory, radiological, vital signs and treatment characteristics/outcomes of severe (ICU) COVID-19 patients in Albaha region, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted from 01 April 2020 to 31 August 2020 involving files review of 171 patients admitted to the ICU of a COVID-19 treatment centre as a result of severe symptoms. RESULTS: Around a third of the ICU patients admitted were over 66 years of age, 59.6% males, 45% diabetics, 39% hypertensive, 25.7% smokers. Patients had symptoms such as 79% fever, 78% cough, 75% headache, 59% sore throat, 57% runny nose, and 75% cough. More than half of the patients had <90% oxygen saturation. Bilateral infiltration was present in about 43% of patients. 85.4% lymphopenia, and 70.8% D-dimer (>0.5 u/ml) were the most significant laboratory results. The median stay in the hospital ranged from 4 to 15.6 days, and the ICU time ranged from 4 to 12.7 days. Approximately 29% of patients received antiviral, antimalarial, and antibiotic treatment, while 27.5% of patients received antibiotics and antimalarial therapy alone. Incorporating hydroxychloroquine in treatment protocols did not improve patients’ outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Older age and cardio-metabolic comorbidities increase the risks of sever COVID-19. Different treatment protocols fail to improve mortality rates and urgent efforts are required to prevent the disease and reduce its severity.