During the surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) delta variant, our institution operated an intensive care unit (ICU) for patients with severe COVID-19. The study aim was to determine the survival rate and treatment outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19 treated in the ICU during the surge. A total of 23 consecutive patients with severe COVID-19 were admitted to the ICU between August 5 and October 6, 2021. Patients received multidrug therapy consisting of remdesivir, tocilizumab, heparin, and methylprednisolone. The patients were divided into two groups based on the ordinal scale (OS): a non-invasive oxygen therapy (OS-6) group, and an invasive oxygen therapy (OS-7) group. There were 13 (57%) and 10 (43%) patients in the OS-7 and OS-6 groups, respectively. All patients were unvaccinated. Sixteen patients (70%) were male. The median age was 53 years; the median body mass index (BMI) was 30.3 kg/m 2 ; and the median P/F ratio on admission was 96. The 30-day survival rate was 69% and was significantly poorer in the OS-7 group (54%) than in the OS-6 group (89%; p = 0.05). The prevalence of obesity (p = 0.05) and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score on admission (p < 0.01) were significantly higher in the OS-7 group. Seven patients in the OS-7 group (54%) developed bacteremia. A low P/F ratio on admission was a significant unfavorable prognostic factor (hazard ratio: 10.9; p = 0.03). The survival rate was poor, especially in patients requiring invasive oxygen therapy. More measures are needed to improve the treatment outcomes of patients with severe COVID 19.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a low frequency of use, and thus pathological findings in such patients are valuable. In this case report, a 62-year-old man with a history of hypertension presented with a runny nose. After an at-home COVID-19 positive test, he developed dyspnea and fever. Once admitted to our hospital, his oxygenation worsened, and ECMO was initiated. He died from respiratory failure 69 days after ECMO induction. Macroscopically, the lungs gained mass, were partially consolidated, and were airless. Histological analysis revealed diffuse bronchial epithelial metaplasia and adenoid metaplasia in the alveolar epithelium. Although the lung parenchyma was partially preserved, there was organizing and fibrosis that filled pulmonary alveolus due to COVID-19 and changes resulting from disuse and long-term ECMO.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is defined as pneumonia occurring after the first 48 hours of intubation and mechanical ventilation and is the most frequent hospital-acquired infection associated with intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. Herein, we defined a novel VAP bundle including 10 preventive items. We analyzed compliance rates and clinical effectiveness associated with this bundle in patients undergoing intubation at our medical center. A total of 684 consecutive patients who underwent mechanical ventilation were admitted to the ICU between June 2018 and December 2020. VAP was diagnosed by at least two physicians based on the relevant United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria. We retrospectively evaluated associations between compliance and VAP incidence. The overall compliance rate was 77%, and compliance generally remained steady during the observation period. Moreover, although the number of ventilatory days remained unchanged, the incidence of VAP improved statistically significantly over time. Low compliance was identified in four categories: head-of-bed elevation of 30-45º, avoidance of oversedation, daily assessment for extubation, and early ambulation and rehabilitation. The incidence of VAP was lower in those with an overall compliance rate of ≥ 75% than its incidence in the lower compliance group (15.8 vs. 24.1%, p = 0.018). When comparing low-compliance items between these groups, we found a statistically significant difference only for daily assessment for extubation (8.3 vs. 25.9%, p = 0.011). In conclusion, the evaluated bundle approach is effective for the prophylaxis of VAP and is thus eligible for inclusion in the Sustainable Development Goals.