The objective of this retrospective observational cohort study, recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine, was to evaluate independent risk factors associated with mortality of patients with COVID-19 requiring treatment in ICUs in the Lombardy region of Italy. In this study, that involved 3988 critically ill patients admitted from February 20 to April 22, 2020, the hospital mortality rate as of May 30 was 12 per 1000 patient-days after a median observation time of 70 days. In the subgroup of the first 1715 patients, 865 (50.4%) had been discharged from the intensive care unit, 836 (48.7%) had died in the intensive care unit, and 14 (0.8%) were still in the intensive care unit; 915 patients died in hospital resulting in an overall hospital mortality of 53.4% for this group. Independent risk factors associated with mortality included older age, male sex, high fraction of inspired oxygen (Fio2) requirements, high positive end-expiratory pressure or low Pao2:Fio2 ratio on ICU admission, and history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypercholesterolemia, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. No medication was independently associated with mortality.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2768601