Characteristics and Outcomes of 21 Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 in Washington State
Matthew Arentz, Eric Yim, Lindy S. Klaff, Sharukh Lokhandwala, Francis X. Riedo, María Gabriela Acuña Chong, Melissa Lee
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease it causes, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is an emerging health threat.1 Until February 2020, most cases were described in non-US health systems.2,3 One of the first deaths in the US was reported at Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland, Washington. Over the following weeks, multiple cases of COVID-19 were identified in the surrounding community and treated at Evergreen Hospital. Most were attributed to US transmission, and the majority were linked to exposures at a skilled nursing facility. \n \nIn this case series, we describe the clinical presentation, characteristics, and outcomes of incident cases of COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Evergreen Hospital to inform other clinicians treating critically ill patients with COVID-19.