# Hospital cohort study on survival predictors for intubated coronavirus disease 2019 patients

## TL;DR

This study identifies factors that increase the risk of death in coronavirus patients who require intubation.

## Contribution

The study reveals that the risk of death is four times higher when emergency physicians perform intubation instead of anesthesiologists.

## Key findings

- Patients over 60 years old had a significantly higher risk of death.
- Intubation by emergency physicians increased mortality risk compared to anesthesiologists.
- Low blood oxygen saturation also increased the risk of death.

## Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the predictors of survival among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 who underwent tracheal intubation, as part of a hospital cohort study.

This retrospective cohort study in the Rio do Sul County Hospital, Santa Catarina, Brazil, from April 2020 to May 2021, focused on patients aged 18 years or older intubated for coronavirus disease 2019. We assessed the 90-day survival of intubated patients by estimating the hazard ratio using a Cox proportional hazards regression model.

The study included 132 participants, with an average age of approximately 60 years. Tracheal intubation was successfully accomplished in 97% of cases within two attempts. The overall mortality rate was 62.9%. Notably, mortality rates were significantly higher in patients aged over 60 years (hazard ratio=2.57; 95%CI 1.54–4.29; p<0.001), those with blood oxygen saturation below 85% (hazard ratio=1.92; 95%CI 1.03–3.57; p=0.04), instances where tracheal intubation was carried out using a conventional laryngoscope (hazard ratio=2.59; 95%CI 1.22–5.48; p=0.013), and when performed by emergency physicians (hazard ratio=3.96; 95%CI 1.51–10.4; p=0.005).

Our analysis unveiled that the risk of death in intubated coronavirus disease 2019 patients is four times higher when an emergency physician, as opposed to an anesthesiologist, leads the tracheal intubation team.