Table 1.
Patients admitted from the community who were discharged alive from their first admission. Excluding ITU transfers and nosocomial transmissions. Comparing characteristics of those receiving different steroid course durations by quartile (n = 196).
| Characteristics |
Number of days of dexamethasone received as inpatient on 1st admission |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Did not receive (n = 72) | 1st Quartile1–3 (n = 40) | 2nd Quartile4–5 (n = 26) | 3rd Quartile6–8 (n = 32) | 4th Quartile≥9 (n = 26) | |
| Number readmitted (%) | 9 (12.5) | 10 (25.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (3.8) |
| Median age (IQR) - years | 61 (49–78) | 51 (41–65) | 56 (40–66) | 64 (48–70) | 55 (49–67) |
| Sex | |||||
| Males (%) | 37 (51.4) | 23 (57.5) | 12 (46.2) | 15 (46.9) | 15 (57.7) |
| Females (%) | 35 (48.6) | 17 (42.5) | 14 (53.8) | 17 (53.1) | 11 (42.3) |
| Ethnicity (%) | |||||
| White | 27 (37.5) | 19 (47.5) | 10 (38.5) | 10 (31.3) | 9 (34.6) |
| Black | 11 (15.3) | 8 (20.0) | 1 (3.8) | 5 (15.6) | 5 (19.2) |
| South Asian | 7 (9.7) | 1 (2.5) | 3 (11.5) | 3 (9.4) | 3 (11.5) |
| Other Asian | 7 (9.7) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (11.5) | 1 (3.1) | 2 (7.7) |
| Unknown | 20 (27.8) | 12 (30.0) | 9 (34.6) | 13 (40.6) | 7 (26.9) |
| Median day of illness on admission (IQR) | 4 (2–8) | 7 (4–9) | 8 (5–10) | 8 (5–10) | 8 (6–9) |
| Median length of admission (IQR) - days | 2 (1–5) | 2 (2–3) | 4 (4–5) | 7 (6–8) | 10 (9–13) |
| Number of comorbidities (%) | |||||
| 0 | 22 (30.6) | 15 (37.5) | 11 (42.3) | 8 (25.0) | 7 (26.9) |
| 1 | 19 (26.4) | 8 (20.0) | 7 (26.9) | 11 (34.4) | 11 (42.3) |
| >2 | 31 (43.1) | 17 (42.5) | 8 (30.8) | 13 (40.6) | 8 (30.8) |
| Number with infiltrates of Chest X-ray (%) | 34 (47.2) | 34 (85.0) | 23 (88.5) | 31 (96.9) | 26 (100.0) |
| Number of asymptomatic COVID (%) | 18 (25.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (3.1) | 0 (0.0) |
| Median admission sats (IQR) -% | 97 (95–98) | 93 (91–97) | 92 (90–95) | 92 (88–95) | 92 (88–94) |
| Median CRP on admission (IQR) – mg/L | 24.0 (8.0–63.4) | 41.2 (24.8–77.5) | 68.0 (51.8–102.8) | 102.1 (59.8–168.9) | 98 (73–164) |
| Median Urea on 1st admission (IQR) – mmol/L | 4.5 (3.6–6.9) | 4.2 (3.5–5.9) | 4.5 (3.5–5.6) | 4.4 (3.3–6.3) | 6.0 (4.8–7.3) |
| Median lymphocytes on 1st admission (IQR) – x109/L | 1.01 (0.80–1.47) | 1.06 (0.79–1.32) | 0.87 (0.63–1.23) | 0.87 (0.69–1.31) | 1.00 (0.73–1.10) |
| Median peak oxygen requirement (IQR) -% | 21 (21–21) | 28 (24–33) | 32 (32–36) | 40 (35–53) | 60 (40–64) |
| Number of patients by peak respiratory support (%) | |||||
| Hospitalised, no oxygen | 61 (84.7) | 8 (20.0) | 1 (3.8) | 1 (3.1) | 0 (0.0) |
| Oxygen by mask or nasal prongs | 10 (13.9) | 31 (77.5) | 24 (92.3) | 20 (62.5) | 9 (34.6) |
| NIV or high-flow oxygen | 1 (1.4) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (3.8) | 11 (34.4) | 16 (61.5) |
| Intubation and Mechanical Ventilation | 0 (0.0) | 1 (2.5) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (3.8) |
| Ventilation and additional organ support (Pressors, RRT, ECMO) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |
| Number receiving remdesivir (%) | 0 (0.0) | 6 (15.0) | 11 (42.3) | 11 (34.4) | 13 (50.0) |
| Median CRP on discharge from 1st admission (IQR) – mg/L | 22.5 (4.6–53.9) | 28.0 (16.3–62.2) | 19.9 (13.2–41.4) | 16.8 (10.2–31.1) | 12 (5.3–40.6) |
| % Sats drop on exercise at discharge from 1st admission (%) | |||||
| 0–1 | 21 (29.2) | 14 (35.0) | 10 (38.5) | 10 (31.3) | 6 (23.1) |
| 2–3 | 2 (2.8) | 8 (20.0) | 5 (19.2) | 5 (15.6) | 3 (11.5) |
| ≥4 | 5 (6.9) | 3 (7.5) | 7 (26.9) | 4 (12.5) | 11 (42.3) |
| Unknown | 44 (61.1) | 15 (37.5) | 4 (15.4) | 13 (40.6) | 6 (23.1) |
| Number discharged with steroids on 1st admission (%) | 2 (2.8) | 6 (15.0) | 1 (3.8) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (3.8) |
| Number discharged with thromboprophylaxis on 1st admission (%) | 6 (8.3) | 3 (7.5) | 3 (11.5) | 7 (21.9) | 7 (26.9) |
| Number discharged with saturations probe on 1st admission (%) | 8 (11.1) | 10 (25.0) | 6 (23.1) | 3 (9.4) | 6 (23.1) |
| Median ISARIC 4C mortality% (IQR) | 11.7 (4.8–19.2) | 7.8 (2.3–19.2) | 11.7 (4.8–19.2) | 19.2 (11.7–26.9) | 14.4 (7.8–26.9) |
| Median ISARIC 4C deterioration%(IQR) | 18.4 (12.3–24.4) | 29.4 (20.1–44.9) | 46.7 (26.6–59.7) | 56.4 (35.9–65.7) | 57.4 (40.3–65.4) |
| Number receiving telephone clinic follow up on 1st admission (%) | 19 (26.4) | 16 (40.0) | 12 (46.2) | 3 (9.4) | 3 (11.5) |