The Relationship Between Inflammatory Parameters and Mortality in COVID-19 Patients Treated in the Intensive Care Unit

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to examine the relationship between hypoxemia, inflammatory parameters, cytokine storm and mortality in the COVID-19 clinic.
METHODS: COVID-19 patients followed in intensive care unit between 21 March and 1 June 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Inflammatory parameters (CRP, ferritin, D Dimer, leukocyte and lymphocyte, LDH…) were measured in blood samples taken simultaneously. The relationship of these parameters with mortality was evaluated.
RESULTS: Of the 30 patients, 11 (36.7%) were female, 19 (63.3%) were male. When living (Group 1) and dead (Group 2) patient groups were compared, a statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of mean age (p = 0.013). It was observed that PaO2 / FiO2 ratios were lower in Group 2 in all measurements starting from the day of hospitalization in intensive care. While there was no difference between CRP and procalcitonin values in the first week, the 12th and last day measurements were found to be statistically significantly higher in Group 2 (respectively p2 = 0.050, p2 = 0.016; p2 = 0.050, p2 <0.001).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: When the patients with severe pneumonia treated in the intensive care unit with the diagnosis of COVID-19 were examined, it was observed that the patients who died were more hypoxic at the intensive care entrance and on the 3rd day compared to the survivors, the level of hypoxemia did not affect the cytokine storm, and there was no difference in mortality between those who experienced cytokine storm and those who did not.