The characteristics and outcomes of 681 severe cases with COVID-19 in China.

PURPOSE: To clarify the epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic features of patients with severe COVID-19.

METHODS

In this study, we enrolled 681 patients with confirmed cases of severe COVID-19. The epidemiological, demographic, clinical, laboratory, treatment, and outcome data were collected.

RESULTS

The median age of the study participants was 65 years, 53.2% were male, and 104 (15.3%) died. Age, Neutrophil-To-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), acute myocardial injury, and levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and CD3 T cells counts were independently associated with death, while arbidol and ribavirin were protective from death. The combination of NLR and acute myocardial injury on admission (AUC = 0.914) predicted mortality better than NLR, CRP, LDH, and acute myocardial injury. There were 312 (45.8%) patients with cardiovascular disease, of whom 23.4% died. β-blockers, ACEI/ARB, arbidol, and ribavirin might have a beneficial effect for severe COVID-19 patients with cardiovascular disease.

CONCLUSION

The combination of NLR and acute myocardial injury on admission was highly predictive of mortality and survival. Clinicians should adopt more aggressive strategies for patients with a high NLR (>6.66) combined with myocardial injury. β-blockers and ACEI/ARB, as well as arbidol and ribavirin, were effective in COVID-19 patients with cardiovascular disease.