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. 2021 Dec 31;11(1):224.
doi: 10.3390/jcm11010224.

ICU-Acquired Pneumonia Is Associated with Poor Health Post-COVID-19 Syndrome

Ignacio Martin-Loeches  1   2   3 , Anna Motos  1   3 , Rosario Menéndez  1   4 , Albert Gabarrús  1   4 , Jessica González  5   6 , Laia Fernández-Barat  1   3 , Adrián Ceccato  1   3 , Raquel Pérez-Arnal  7 , Dario García-Gasulla  7 , Ricard Ferrer  1   8 , Jordi Riera  1   8 , José Ángel Lorente  1   9 , Óscar Peñuelas  1   9 , Jesús F Bermejo-Martin  1   10   11 , David de Gonzalo-Calvo  5   6 , Alejandro Rodríguez  12 , Ferran Barbé  5   6 , Luciano Aguilera  13 , Rosario Amaya-Villar  14 , Carme Barberà  15 , José Barberán  16 , Aaron Blandino Ortiz  17 , Elena Bustamante-Munguira  18 , Jesús Caballero  19 , Cristina Carbajales  20 , Nieves Carbonell  21 , Mercedes Catalán-González  22 , Cristóbal Galbán  23 , Víctor D Gumucio-Sanguino  24 , Maria Del Carmen de la Torre  25 , Emili Díaz  26 , Elena Gallego  27 , José Luis García Garmendia  28 , José Garnacho-Montero  29 , José M Gómez  30 , Ruth Noemí Jorge García  31 , Ana Loza-Vázquez  32 , Judith Marín-Corral  33 , Amalia Martínez de la Gándara  34 , Ignacio Martínez Varela  35 , Juan Lopez Messa  36 , Guillermo M Albaiceta  37   38 , Mariana Andrea Novo  39 , Yhivian Peñasco  40 , Pilar Ricart  41 , Luis Urrelo-Cerrón  42 , Angel Sánchez-Miralles  43 , Susana Sancho Chinesta  44 , Lorenzo Socias  45 , Jordi Solé-Violan  1   46 , Luis Tamayo Lomas  47 , Pablo Vidal  48 , Antoni Torres  1   3
Affiliations

ICU-Acquired Pneumonia Is Associated with Poor Health Post-COVID-19 Syndrome

Ignacio Martin-Loeches et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Background: Some patients previously presenting with COVID-19 have been reported to develop persistent COVID-19 symptoms. While this information has been adequately recognised and extensively published with respect to non-critically ill patients, less is known about the incidence and factors associated with the characteristics of persistent COVID-19. On the other hand, these patients very often have intensive care unit-acquired pneumonia (ICUAP). A second infectious hit after COVID increases the length of ICU stay and mechanical ventilation and could have an influence on poor health post-COVID 19 syndrome in ICU-discharged patients.

Methods: This prospective, multicentre, and observational study was carrid out across 40 selected ICUs in Spain. Consecutive patients with COVID-19 requiring ICU admission were recruited and evaluated three months after hospital discharge.

Results: A total of 1255 ICU patients were scheduled to be followed up at 3 months; however, the final cohort comprised 991 (78.9%) patients. A total of 315 patients developed ICUAP (97% of them had ventilated ICUAP). Patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation had more persistent post-COVID-19 symptoms than those who did not require mechanical ventilation. Female sex, duration of ICU stay, development of ICUAP, and ARDS were independent factors for persistent poor health post-COVID-19.

Conclusions: Persistent post-COVID-19 symptoms occurred in more than two-thirds of patients. Female sex, duration of ICU stay, development of ICUAP, and ARDS all comprised independent factors for persistent poor health post-COVID-19. Prevention of ICUAP could have beneficial effects in poor health post-COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; CT abnormalities; ICU; SARS-CoV-2; lung function; post-COVID; sequelae.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart and the percentage of patients with persistent port-COVID-19 symptoms.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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