tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Clin Med
. 2021 May 24;10(11):2274.
doi: 10.3390/jcm10112274.
Patient Characteristics and Clinical Course of COVID-19 Patients Treated at a German Tertiary Center during the First and Second Waves in the Year 2020
Thomas Theo Brehm[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Andreas Heyer[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kevin Roedl[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Dominik Jarczak[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Axel Nierhaus[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Michael F Nentwich[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Marc van der Meirschen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alexander Schultze[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Martin Christner[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Walter Fiedler[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Nicolaus Kröger[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Tobias B Huber[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Hans Klose[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Martina Sterneck[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sabine Jordan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Benno Kreuels[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Stefan Schmiedel[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Marylyn M Addo[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Samuel Huber[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ansgar W Lohse[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Stefan Kluge[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Julian Schulze Zur Wiesch[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
In this study, we directly compared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients hospitalized during the first (27 February-28 July 2020) and second (29 July-31 December 2020) wave of the pandemic at a large tertiary center in northern Germany. Patients who presented during the first (n = 174) and second (n = 331) wave did not differ in age (median [IQR], 59 years [46, 71] vs. 58 years [42, 73]; p = 0.82) or age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (median [IQR], 2 [1, 4] vs. 2 [0, 4]; p = 0.50). During the second wave, a higher proportion of patients were treated as outpatients (11% [n = 20] vs. 20% [n = 67]), fewer patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (43% [n = 75] vs. 29% [n = 96]), and duration of hospitalization was significantly shorter (median days [IQR], 14 [8, 34] vs. 11 [5, 19]; p < 0.001). However, in-hospital mortality was high throughout the pandemic and did not differ between the two periods (16% [n = 27] vs. 16% [n = 54]; p = 0.89). While novel treatment strategies and increased knowledge about the clinical management of COVID-19 may have resulted in a less severe disease course in some patients, in-hospital mortality remained unaltered at a high level. These findings highlight the unabated need for efforts to hamper severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission, to increase vaccination coverage, and to develop novel treatment strategies to prevent mortality and decrease morbidity.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; first wave; hospital; mortality; patients; second wave; treatment.
. 2021 May 24;10(11):2274.
doi: 10.3390/jcm10112274.
Patient Characteristics and Clinical Course of COVID-19 Patients Treated at a German Tertiary Center during the First and Second Waves in the Year 2020
Thomas Theo Brehm[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Andreas Heyer[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kevin Roedl[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Dominik Jarczak[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Axel Nierhaus[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Michael F Nentwich[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Marc van der Meirschen[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alexander Schultze[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Martin Christner[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Walter Fiedler[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Nicolaus Kröger[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Tobias B Huber[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Hans Klose[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Martina Sterneck[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sabine Jordan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Benno Kreuels[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Stefan Schmiedel[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Marylyn M Addo[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Samuel Huber[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ansgar W Lohse[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Stefan Kluge[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Julian Schulze Zur Wiesch[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34073928
- DOI: 10.3390/jcm10112274
Abstract
In this study, we directly compared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients hospitalized during the first (27 February-28 July 2020) and second (29 July-31 December 2020) wave of the pandemic at a large tertiary center in northern Germany. Patients who presented during the first (n = 174) and second (n = 331) wave did not differ in age (median [IQR], 59 years [46, 71] vs. 58 years [42, 73]; p = 0.82) or age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (median [IQR], 2 [1, 4] vs. 2 [0, 4]; p = 0.50). During the second wave, a higher proportion of patients were treated as outpatients (11% [n = 20] vs. 20% [n = 67]), fewer patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (43% [n = 75] vs. 29% [n = 96]), and duration of hospitalization was significantly shorter (median days [IQR], 14 [8, 34] vs. 11 [5, 19]; p < 0.001). However, in-hospital mortality was high throughout the pandemic and did not differ between the two periods (16% [n = 27] vs. 16% [n = 54]; p = 0.89). While novel treatment strategies and increased knowledge about the clinical management of COVID-19 may have resulted in a less severe disease course in some patients, in-hospital mortality remained unaltered at a high level. These findings highlight the unabated need for efforts to hamper severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission, to increase vaccination coverage, and to develop novel treatment strategies to prevent mortality and decrease morbidity.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; first wave; hospital; mortality; patients; second wave; treatment.