Covid-19: most patients require mechanical ventilation in first 24 hours of critical care
Elisabeth Mahase
Abstract
Covid-19: most patients require mechanical ventilation in first 24 hours of critical care Elisabeth MahaseThe BMJ Two thirds (132) of covid-19 patients who required critical care in the UK had mechanical ventilation within 24 hours of admission, an audit of patients from England, Wales, and Northern Ireland has found.The report from the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre summarised all the confirmed cases of covid-19 in critical care (199 admissions for 196 patients) up to midnight on 19 March from participating critical care units. 1 Of these, 29% (57) were female and 71% (139) were male; their median age was 64.Of the 196 patients, 16 died, 17 patients were discharged alive from critical care, and 163 patients were last reported as still being in critical care.Most of these patients (106) were being managed by the three London Operational Delivery Networks.