Outcomes of patients with COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring invasive mechanical ventilation admitted to an intensive care unit in South Africa

Background. Up to 32% of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia may require intensive care unit (ICU) admission or mechanical ventilation. Data from low- and middle-income countries on COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are limited. Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, expanded its intensive care service to support patients with COVID-19 ARDS requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Objectives. To report on patients' characteristics and outcomes from the first two pandemic waves. Methods. All patients with COVID-19 ARDS admitted to the ICU for IMV were included in this prospective cohort study. Data were collected from 5 April 2020 to 5 April 2021. Results. Over the 12-month study period, 461 patients were admitted to the designated COVID-19 ICU. Of these, 380 met the study criteria and 377 had confirmed hospital discharge outcomes. The median (range) age of patients was 51 (17 - 71) years, 50.5% were female, and the median (interquartile range (IQR)) body mass index was 32 (28 - 38) kg/m(2). The median (IQR) arterial oxygen partial pressure to fractional inspired oxygen (P/F) ratio was 97 (71 - 128) after IMV was initiated. Comorbidities included diabetes (47.6%), hypertension (46.3%) and HIV infection (10.5%). Of the patients admitted, 30.8% survived to hospital discharge with a median (IQR) ICU length of stay of 19.5 (9 36) days. Predictors of mortality after adjusting for confounders were male sex (odds ratio (OR) 1.74), increasing age (OR 1.04) and higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (OR 1.29). Conclusions. In a resource-limited environment, the provision of IMV support in the ICU achieved 30.8% hospital survival in patients with COVID-19 ARDS. The ability to predict survival remains difficult given this complex disease.