Using cardiovascular risk indices to predict mortality in Covid-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: a cross sectional study

Covid-19 patients who require admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) have a higher risk of mortality. Several risk factors for severe Covid-19 infection have been identified, including cardiovascular risk factors. Therefore, the aim was to investigate the association between cardiovascular (CV) risk and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and mortality of Covid-19 ARDS patients admitted to an ICU. A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in a university hospital in Graz, Austria. Covid-19 patients who were admitted to an ICU with a paO2/fiO2 ratio < 300 were included in this study. Standard lipid profile was measured at ICU admission to determine CV risk. 31 patients with a mean age of 68 years were recruited, CV risk was stratified using Framingham-, Procam- and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score. A total of 10 (32.3%) patients died within 30 days, 8 patients (25.8%) suffered from MACE during ICU stay. CV risk represented by Framingham-, Procam- or CCI score was not associated with higher rates of MACE. Nevertheless, higher CV risk represented by Procam score was significantly associated with 30- day mortality (13.1 vs. 6.8, p = 0.034). These findings suggest that the Procam score might be useful to estimate the prognosis of Covid-19 ARDS patients.