Low mortality of hospitalised patients with COVID-19 in a tertiary Danish hospital setting
In: Madsen , L W , Lindvig , S O , Rasmussen , L D , Knudtzen , F C , Laursen , C B , Øvrehus , A , Nielsen , S L & Johansen , I S 2021 , ' Low mortality of hospitalised patients with COVID-19 in a tertiary Danish hospital setting ' , International Journal of Infectious Diseases , vol. 102 , pp. 212-219 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.10.018
Objectives: We aimed to describe clinical characteristics and outcomes of admitted COVID-19 patients in a Danish hospital setting where an early active government intervention was taken. Methods: This prospective cohort study included all patients admitted to the COVID-19 unit at Odense University Hospital from March 10 to April 21, 2020. Patients were assessed by a multidisciplinary team at admission. Outcome parameters were development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), intensive care unit (ICU) admission, death and admission time. Results: We included 83 patients (median age 62 years, 62.7% male). At hospitalization, 31.3% needed oxygen supplementation and the median National Early Warning Score was four. Median admission time was 7 days (Interquartile ranges (IQR) 3−12). In total, ARDS was diagnosed in 33.7% (28/83) of the patients, corresponding to an incidence rate of 7.1 per 100 person days (95% CI: 4.1−10.2). Overall 13 patients (15.7%) were transferred to the ICU, of whom 11 (84.6%) received corticosteroids. No patients died while admitted to the ICU. Four patients (4.8%) died during admission. Conclusion: Despite similar patient characteristics compared to those reported by others, we found a low overall mortality of < 5%.