Intensive Care Unit Admissions During the First 3 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland: A Single-Center, Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND Data on the outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) requiring Intensive Care Unit (ICU) care in Poland are limited. There are no data on critically ill patients with COVID-19 who did not meet criteria for ICU admission. MATERIAL AND METHODS We analyzed patients admitted to the ICU and those ineligible for ICU admission in a large COVID-19-dedicated hospital, during the first 3 months of the pandemic in Poland. Data from 67 patients considered for ICU admissions due to COVID-19 infection, treated between 10 March and 10 June 2020, were reviewed. Following exclusions, data on 32 patients admitted to the ICU and 21 patients ineligible for ICU admission were analyzed. RESULTS In 38% of analyzed patients, symptoms of COVID-19 infection occurred during a hospital stay for an unrelated medical issue. The mean age of ICU patients was 62.4 (10.4) years, and the majority of patients were male (69%), with at least one comorbidity (88%). The mean admission APACHE II and SAPS II scores were 20.1 (8.1) points and 51.2 (15.3) points, respectively. The Charlson Comorbidity Index and Clinical Frailty Scale were lower in ICU patients compared with those disqualified: 5.9 (4.3) vs. 9.1 (3.5) points, P=0.01, and 4.7 (1.7) vs. 6.9 (1.2) points, P<0.01, respectively. All ICU patients required intubation and mechanical ventilation. ICU mortality was 67%. Hospital mortality among patients admitted to the ICU and those who were disqualified was 70% and 79%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Patients with COVID-19 requiring ICU admission in our studied population were frail and had significant comorbidities. The outcomes in this group were poor and did not seem to be influenced by ICU admission.