Predictors of mortality among critical COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit in the Sulaimani governorate in 2021, Iraq

Background and objective: There are many factors that influence mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19 infection in the intensive care unit. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors that predict the mortalities of critical COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit in Sulaimani in 2021. Methods: This is an observational retrospective study of critically ill patients with COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to the main intensive care unit of the Sulaimani government between June and December 2020. Overall baseline characteristics are presented based on the patient's survivors versus non-survivors. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare whether there is a difference between survivors and non-survivors for the independent basic characteristics of the patients. Binary logistic regression was used to identify the predicted factors of survivors. Results: A total of 220 patients were admitted to the intensive care unit, of whom 167 died, with a case fatality rate of 75.9%. The risk factors that predicted mortality in critical COVID-19 patients were an increasing age of more than 59 years (P-value = 0.008), comorbidities (P-value = 0.038), and a lack of use of antiviral drugs (P-value = 0.011). Whereas the factors significantly predicted a reduction in mortality were increasing oxygen saturation (P-value <0.001), systolic blood pressure (P-value = 0.002), non-invasive mechanical ventilation (facemask) (P-value = 0.001), and continuous positive airway pressure (P-value = 0.003). Conclusion: The risk factors that predicted mortality in critical COVID-19 patients were increasing age, comorbidities, and a lack of use of antiviral drugs. Whereas increasing oxygen saturation, systolic blood pressure, non-invasive mechanical ventilation (facemask), and continuous positive airway pressure significantly predicted a reduction in the likelihood of death.