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- Title
Physiological respiratory parameters in pre-hospital patients with suspected COVID-19: A prospective cohort study.
- Authors
Mälberg, Johan; Hadziosmanovic, Nermin; Smekal, David
- Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented emergency medical services (EMS) worldwide with the difficult task of identifying patients with COVID-19 and predicting the severity of their illness. The aim of this study was to investigate whether physiological respiratory parameters in pre-hospital patients with COVID-19 differed from those without COVID-19 and if they could be used to aid EMS personnel in the prediction of illness severity. Methods: Patients with suspected COVID-19 were included by EMS personnel in Uppsala, Sweden. A portable respiratory monitor based on pneumotachography was used to sample the included patient's physiological respiratory parameters. A questionnaire with information about present symptoms and background data was completed. COVID-19 diagnoses and hospital admissions were gathered from the electronic medical record system. The physiological respiratory parameters of patients with and without COVID-19 were then analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis and logistic regression. Results: Between May 2020 and January 2021, 95 patients were included, and their physiological respiratory parameters analyzed. Of these patients, 53 had COVID-19. Using adjusted logistic regression, the odds of having COVID-19 increased with respiratory rate (95% CI 1.000–1.118), tidal volume (95% CI 0.996–0.999) and negative inspiratory pressure (95% CI 1.017–1.152). Patients admitted to hospital had higher respiratory rates (p<0.001) and lower tidal volume (p = 0.010) compared to the patients who were not admitted. Using adjusted logistic regression, the odds of hospital admission increased with respiratory rate (95% CI 1.081–1.324), rapid shallow breathing index (95% CI 1.006–1.040) and dead space percentage of tidal volume (95% CI 1.027–1.159). Conclusion: Patients taking smaller, faster breaths with less pressure had higher odds of having COVID-19 in this study. Smaller, faster breaths and higher dead space percentage also increased the odds of hospital admission. Physiological respiratory parameters could be a useful tool in detecting COVID-19 and predicting hospital admissions, although more research is needed.
- Subjects
UPPSALA (Sweden); COVID-19; COVID-19 pandemic; LONGITUDINAL method; ELECTRONIC health records; RATINGS of hospitals; EMERGENCY medical services; HOSPITALS
- Publication
PLoS ONE, 2021, Vol 16, Issue 9, p1
- ISSN
1932-6203
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0257018