Investigation of the Clinical Features and Long-Term Functional Status of Patients with a Diagnosis of Covid-19 Followed in the Intensive Care Unit

The study aims to examine the clinical features and mortality-related factors of COVID-19 patients in critical condition and their long-term functional status in survivors. All COVID-19 patients admitted to our intensive care unit (ICU) between March 2020 and November 2020 were included in the study. In the ICU, mortality-related parameters were evaluated using univariate and multiple analyses. The long-term functional status of daily living activities (Katz ADL and Lawton IADL), nutrition (MNA-SF), frailty (FRAIL index), and life satisfaction tests were evaluated by assessing the final status at home after discharge in critically ill COVID-19 patients. A total of 203 COVID-19 patients were included in the study (55.2% male, median age 76 years, median ICU stay 7 days, APACHE II score median 19 points, and mortality rate 81.8%). Invasive mechanical ventilation use was found to be an independent risk factor for ICU mortality in multiple regression models. Twenty-two (22/203, 11.0%) patients were evaluated by telephoneregarding their functional status. Median follow-up times after discharge were 169 days (97-324). The Katz ADL, Lawton IADL, MNA-SF, FRAIL index, and Life Satisfaction Scale scores were worse than before COVID-19 infection. In this study, it has been shown that mortality rates may be high, and invasive mechanical ventilation support was an independent risk factor for mortality in patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit due to COVID-19, especially in the early stages of the pandemic. Furthermore, patients who could be discharged may experience a deterioration in their life activities, nutritional status, and physical performance for months compared to their condition before COVID-19 infection.