HP05: Diagnostic and prognostic assessment in respiratory and hemodynamic changes related to prone position in COVID-19 patients

Objective: One of the most relevant findings of COVID-19 is the respiratory damage that leads to an impairment in tissue oxygenation during the course of the disease. To study this disease's physiopathology, we have analyzed the respiratory patterns and the hemodynamic variations related to postural changes in inpatients with COVID-19. Methods: We performed a prospective study including 11 polygraph and hemodynamic studies from inpatients admitted for COVID-19 who benefited from positional changes. To assess the respiratory parameters, we conducted polygraph studies. To evaluate the hemodynamic variables, we used a thoracic electrical bioimpedance. Results: We observed a minimum oxygen saturation median of 85.00% (IQR: 7.00) in the supine position vs 91.00% (IQR: 8.00) in the prone position (p=0.173). The airflow restriction in the supine position was 2.70% (IQR: 6.55) vs 1.55% (IQR: 2.80) in the prone position (p=0.383). We observed a slight tendency to decrease in all parameters in the prone position concerning the hemodynamic variables, although they were no statistically significant. We show a decrease in vascular resistance mean in the prone position, being 18.2% vs 36.4% in the supine position (p=0.871). Conclusion: Our report shows an improvement in oxygen saturation and airflow restriction related to the placement of the patient in the prone position. Also, we observed a mild enhancement in hemodynamic variables. The data shown is relevant because early identification of the more severe cases could help anticipate the clinical progression using the therapeutic oxygen measures necessary to avoid the disease's fatal progression.