Survival status and predictors of mortality among COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units at COVID-19 centers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a retrospective study

Abstract

Introduction: Worldwide, including in Ethiopia, there is an increased risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease severity and mortality. This study aimed to assess the survival status and predictors of mortality among COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit. Methods: This study included 508 COVID-19 patients retrospectively who were under follow-up. The work has been reported in line with the STROCSS (strengthening the reporting of cohort, cross-sectional and case–control studies in surgery) criteria. The data were collected through a systematic sampling from patients’ charts. Kaplan–Meier survival curves and logrank test, and Cox’s regression analyses were conducted to check the difference among categories of covariates and to identify predictors of mortality, respectively. Results: All patient charts were reviewed and the information was recorded. The average age (mean+SD) of these patients was 62.1+13.6 years. Among study participants, 422 deaths occurred and the mortality rate was 64.1 per 1000 person-days. The median survival time was 13 days [interquartile range (IQR): 10–18]. The significant predictors for this survival were: Age>45 years [adjusted hazard ratio (AHR)=4.34, 95% CI: 2.46–7.86], Diabetes mellitus (AHR=1.37, 95% CI: 1.05–1.77), Hypertension (AHR=1.39, 95% CI: 1.09–1.79), Renal disease (AHR=1.86, 95% CI: 1.01–3.43), Hypotension (AHR=1.71, 95% CI: 1.28–2.27), Electrolyte treatment (AHR=0.78, 95% CI: 0.63–0.97). Conclusion: The median survival of COVID-19 patients after their admission was 13 days, and predictors for this time were advanced age, preexisting comorbidities (like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and renal disease), hypotension, and electrolyte therapy.