In:
Journal of Clinical Medicine, MDPI AG, Vol. 10, No. 11 ( 2021-05-24), p. 2274-
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.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2077-0383
Language:
English
Publisher:
MDPI AG
Publication Date:
2021
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2662592-1
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