Laboratory predictors for COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit admissions in Trinidad and Tobago

Understanding symptoms associated with COVID-19 cases requiring intensive care unit(ICU) attention is important in management of the life-threatening cases of the disease. This study aimed to determine laboratory indicators of ICU admission for COVID-19 patients. For this retrospective chart review study, data from 116 patients(ICU, n = 18, Non-ICU, n = 98) with confirmed SARS-CoV-2, managed at two hospitals in Trinidad and Tobago, from March 12th to April 12th 2020, were analyzed. The median age of non-ICU patients was 59.0(IQR = 23.5) years; ICU patients had a median age of 62.5(IR = 17.5). From univariate analysis, laboratory indicators significantly associated with ICU admission included WBC(P = 0.037), lymphocyte(P = 0.016), LDH(P = 0.002), AST(P = 0.005) and CRP(P = 0.0001). However, multivariate analysis including WBC, neutrophil, lymphocyte, PLT, AST, LDH, ALT and CRP indicated that only AST was associated with high odds of ICU admission(OR 0.002, 95% CI 0.000–0.004, P = 0.017). Statistically significant AUC were obtained for neutrophil(AUC = 0.704, P = 0.007), CRP (AUC = 0.81, p = 0.00) and LDH(AUC = 0.766, P = 0.00) and AST (AUC = 0.729, P = 0.003). The findings indicate that neutrophils, AST and LDH's ROC curves are good tests, CRP curve is a very good test, but lymphocyte curve is a poor test, in determining COVID-19 patients for ICU admission. Neutrophil, AST, LDH and CRP are suitable predictors of COVID-19 patients that should receive intensive unit care. The study provides significant insights into laboratory parameters that can be used to predict COVID-19 severity and important considerations for healthcare providers in making evidence-based decisions regarding COVID-19 patient management, especially in the context of limited ICU facilities. This study was not funded.