Characteristics and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients with pulmonary disorders: A single-center, retrospective observational study

Introduction Mortality rates and clinical characteristics of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) vary significantly. Objectives To describe the data of patients with pulmonary comorbidities who were admitted to the ICU with COVID-19 in Qatar in terms of demographic characteristics, coexisting conditions, imaging findings, and outcomes. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of the outcomes with regard to mortality and requirement of invasive ventilation, demographic characteristics, coexisting conditions, secondary infections, and imaging findings for critical care patients with COVID-19 in Qatar who had pulmonary comorbidities between March and June 2020. Results A total of 923 patients were included, 29 (3.14%) were found to have pulmonary disease. All these 29 patients' respiratory disease was noted to be asthma. Among these, three patients (10.3%) died in the ICU within 28 days of ICU admission. They were all above 50 years old. Nineteen (66%) patients required intubation and mechanical ventilation. Twenty-one (72.4%) patients were males. The most common comorbidities included diabetes mellitus (55.1%) and hypertension (62%). Eighteen (62%) patients developed secondary infections in the ICU. Five (17.24%) patients developed renal impairment. Twenty (69%) patients received tocilizumab as part of their COVID-19 management, and out of these 16 (80%) patients developed a coinfection. Conclusion Patients with pulmonary disorders had higher mortality rates than other patients admitted to ICU during the same time frame with similar comorbidities; these patients require extra consideration and care to avoid disease progression and death.