Table 1.
Patient Characteristics
| Variable | ICU (n = 50) | LTACH (n = 28) |
|---|---|---|
| Age, median (range), years | 60.5 (26–91) | 62.5 (42–86) |
| Male sex, n (%) | 35 (70) | 17 (61) |
| Race/ethnicity, n (%) | ||
| Hispanic | 32 (64) | 10 (36) |
| White non-Hispanic | 11 (22) | 12 (43) |
| Black non-Hispanic | 4 (8) | 5 (18) |
| Asian non-Hispanic | 3 (6) | 1 (4) |
| Disease severity,a n (%) | ||
| Critical | 31 (62) | 28 (100) |
| ECMO | 3 (6) | 0 (0) |
| Mechanical ventilation only | 28 (56) | 28 (100) |
| Severe | 19 (38) | 0 (0) |
| Comorbidities, n (%) | ||
| Cardiovascular | 36 (72) | 24 (86) |
| Pulmonary | 6 (12) | 6 (21) |
| Moderate or severe renal disease (eGFR <60 mL/minute) | 10 (20) | 3 (11) |
| Hemodialysis | 2 (4) | 0 (0) |
| Diabetes | 21 (42) | 17 (61) |
| Obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) | 30 (60) | 15 (54) |
| Severe obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) | 8 (16) | 7 (25) |
| Immunocompromising conditionb | 9 (18) | 2 (7) |
| Severec | 5 (10) | 0 (0) |
| Nonsevered | 4 (1) | 2 (7) |
| COVID-19 antiviral and immunomodulatory therapy, n (%) | ||
| Remdesivir | 46 (92) | 17 (61) |
| Dexamethasonee | 49 (98) | 19 (68) |
| Tocilizumab | 0 (0) | 7 (25) |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; ECMO, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; GVHD, graft-versus-host disease; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; HSCT, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; ICU, intensive care unit; LTACH, long-term acute care hospital; SOT, solid-organ transplant.
According to the National Institutes of Health criteria [4]. Critical disease was defined as respiratory failure, septic shock, or multiple organ dysfunction. Severe disease was defined as peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2) <94% on room air at sea level, ratio of arterial partial pressure of oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2/FiO2) <300 mmHg, or lung infiltrates >50%.
Fraaij et al [11].
Defined as allogeneic HSCT <12 months, GVHD after allogeneic HSCT, HIV-positive with CD4+ T-cell count <200 cells/µL, chemotherapy with >7 days neutropenia, lung transplant, SOT other than lung with induction therapy <6 months, SOT other than lung >1 year and rejection <3 months, use of immunomodulating biologicals, or daily corticosteroid dosage (based on prednisone) of >30 mg for >14 days.
Defined as maintenance chemotherapy for hematologic malignancies, chemotherapy for solid tumors, autologous HSCT, >1 year after SOT and no rejection, HIV-positive with undetectable viral load and CD4+ T-cell count >200 cells/µL, methotrexate use for autoimmune disease, daily corticosteroid (based on prednisone) dosage ≤30 mg for ≤14 days, other possible immune deficiencies (ie, untreated autoimmune disease, use of immunosuppressants other than immunomodulating biologicals).
Six milligrams per day for 10 days [20].