Outcomes of patients in intensive care units according to COVID-19 status: analysis of 114 854 cases in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND:
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has profoundly affected global health systems. Healthcare systems across the globe have been pushed to their limits, with intensive care units (ICUs) witnessing a sharp rise in admissions, putting a strain on resources and personnel.


OBJECTIVES:
Examine ICU health outcomes, including mortality, length of stay (LOS), and discharge rates, among COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.


DESIGN:
Retrospective, cross-sectional study


SETTING:
A national cross-sectional dataset provided by the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia.


PATIENTS AND METHODS:
All patients admitted to ICUs across Saudi Arabia between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022. Patients were classified as confirmed COVID-19 cases and non-COVID-19 cases. To evaluate the ICU outcomes, the study used multivariate regression models, adjusting for covariates including age, gender, region, citizenship, and comorbidity score.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
ICU outcomes including mortality, LOS and discharge rate


SAMPLE SIZE:
114 854 ICU patients


RESULTS:
The study population consisted of 114 854 ICU patients across various demographic and clinical categories. Mortality was found to be higher in COVID-19 patients than non-COVID-19 patients, with COVID-19 patients showing a 7% increase in mortality (OR=1.07, 95% CI: 1.02–1.12). Also, COVID-19 patients had 78% higher odds of being discharged home than the non-COVID-19 group (OR=1.78, 95% CI: 1.71–1.84). Moreover, the average LOS in the ICU was significantly shorter for COVID-19 patients than non-COVID-19 patients by 6% on average (Coefficient=-0.06, 95% CI: −0.07 to −0.03).


CONCLUSION:
Significant differences were seen in ICU outcomes between patients with and without COVID-19, including mortality rates, discharge rates, and LOS. COVID-19 patients exhibited higher mortality rate and discharge rate, and shorter ICU LOS than those without COVID-19.


LIMITATIONS:
The data used in this study has missing critical information such as laboratory results, socioeconomic variables, and hospitalization characteristics.