BackgroundSurvivors of COVID-19 pneumonia may have residual lung injury and poor physical and mental health even after discharge. We hypothesized that COVID-19 severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients needing mechanical ventilation may be at a greater risk of deterioration in pulmonary function, mental health, and quality of life (QOL). This study analyses the differences in pulmonary function, mental health, and QOL after recovery, in patients having received non-invasive oxygen therapy versus invasive mechanical ventilation during ICU stay. MethodsPatients aged >18 years, who had completed 3 months post ICU discharge, with moderate to severe COVID-19 ARDS, were consecutively enrolled from May 1 to July 31, 2021. Patients were allocated into Group Ahaving required high flow nasal cannula (HFNC)/non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and Group B -having received invasive mechanical ventilation. Pulmonary function tests, 6-minute walk test (6-MWT), and health-related quality of life were compared. ResultsOf the 145 eligible patients, 31 were lost to follow-up and 21 died. Seventy-four patients were allocated into Groups A (57 patients) and B (17 patients). In Group A, abnormal forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV 1 ), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory flow in mid-half of FVC (FEF 25-75 ), and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) values were obtained in 27 (47.37%), 43 (75.44%), 11 (19.3%), and 25 (43.86%) patients, and in Group B, in 13 (76.47%), 17 (100%), 1 (5.88%), and 8 (47%) patients, respectively. No patient had abnormal FEV 1 /FVC. All Group B patients had a restrictive pattern in spirometry as compared to 77% in Group A. Group B had a lower arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO 2 ) (p=0.0019), % predicted FVC (p<0.0001), % predicted FEV 1 (p=0.001), and 6-MWT distance (p<0.001). The physical component score in the short-form survey 12 questionnaire was higher in group A, p<0.001, whereas the mental component score was comparable. ConclusionsPatients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (MV) have a greater risk of impaired pulmonary function and reduced QOL post-ICU discharge. This warrants a greater need for following these patients for better rehabilitation.

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Background: Data on outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in pregnancy are scarce, although they represent a unique physiological state affecting both the mother and child. We present collated data from a tertiary care center in North India, encompassing the outcome, clinical characteristics, and management of these patients. Materials and Methods: Parturients ≥ 18 years old, with COVID-19 reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission at a tertiary care hospital were included. Data were retrospectively collected from April 2020 to November 2021. Results: In all, 26 parturients were admitted to ICU with COVID-19. Five patients were admitted during the first wave, and all were asymptomatic. Twenty-one patients presented during the second wave (March 2021 onward), among which four were asymptomatic and 17 symptomatic (all with severe pneumonia). Three patients presented in the second trimester, all with critical disease, out of which one did not survive. Two patients had twin gestation, and others were singleton pregnancies. Seven patients (27%) were primigravida, and five patients (19.2%) had more than third pregnancy. Twenty critically ill women (77%) delivered during the hospital stay. Six patients died during the second wave, and four deaths (66.7%) were because of COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Conclusions: The number of admissions and mortality related to COVID-19 ARDS was higher in the second wave than in the first. We report the safe use of remdesivir and tocilizumab in our patients.

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