Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who developed ARDS or died
Methods: Evaluated 201 confirmed covid cases at Wuhan Jinintan Hospital.
Results: Primary outcomes included risk factors associated with ARDS and death. 84 of 201 patients developed ARDS (42%), while 44 of these 201 patients died (21.9%) [all of whom had ARDS]. Older age, neutrophilia, organ and coagulation dysfunction were all associated with ARDS and death. Patients with ARDS who received steroids did show improved survival
Strengths:
Rapid publication and relevant
Large sample size relative to other covid studies at the time
Attempted to control for confounders
Weaknesses:
Observational design
Single center
Fragile results
Limited inclusion criteria (only covid patients with definite pneumonia)
Questionable generalizability
Key Point: Older age, neutrophilia, organ and coagulation dysfunction were all associated with ARDS and death in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Steroids may confer a survival advantage to patients with ARDS in this group.