Outcomes of patients in intensive care units according to COVID-19 status: analysis of 114 854 cases in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has profoundly affected global health systems. Healthcare systems across the globe have been pushed to their limits, with intensive care units (ICUs) witnessing a sharp rise in admissions, putting a strain on resources and personnel.

OBJECTIVES

Examine ICU health outcomes, including mortality, length of stay (LOS), and discharge rates, among COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.

DESIGN

Retrospective, cross-sectional study.

SETTING

A national cross-sectional dataset provided by the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

All patients admitted to ICUs across Saudi Arabia between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022. Patients were classified as confirmed COVID-19 cases and non-COVID-19 cases. To evaluate the ICU outcomes, the study used multivariate regression models, adjusting for covariates including age, gender, region, citizenship, and comorbidity score.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ICU outcomes including mortality, LOS and discharge rate.

SAMPLE SIZE: 114 854 ICU patients.

RESULTS

The study population consisted of 114 854 ICU patients across various demographic and clinical categories. Mortality was found to be higher in COVID-19 patients than non-COVID-19 patients, with COVID-19 patients showing a 7% increase in mortality (OR=1.07, 95% CI: 1.02-1.12). Also, COVID-19 patients had 78% higher odds of being discharged home than the non-COVID-19 group (OR=1.78, 95% CI: 1.71-1.84). Moreover, the average LOS in the ICU was significantly shorter for COVID-19 patients than non-COVID-19 patients by 6% on average (Coefficient=-0.06, 95% CI: -0.07 to -0.03).

CONCLUSION

Significant differences were seen in ICU outcomes between patients with and without COVID-19, including mortality rates, discharge rates, and LOS. COVID-19 patients exhibited higher mortality rate and discharge rate, and shorter ICU LOS than those without COVID-19.

LIMITATIONS: The data used in this study has missing critical information such as laboratory results, socioeconomic variables, and hospitalization characteristics.