patients with covid-19: predictors of hospitalization in the intensive care unit

Background: the covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical need to identify patients at high risk of severe outcomes, including intensive care unit (icu) admission. objectives: the aim of this study was to determine the predictors of hospitalization in the intensive care unit (icu) in patients with covid-19. method: this research is a retrospective descriptive-analytical study and the data were obtained from the medical records of 386 patients with confirmed covid-19 at razi hospital in rasht, north of iran. data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire, including four sections of individual, clinical, laboratory, and respiratory factors of the patients. data was analyzed using multiple logistic regression model in spss version 16. results: the rate of icu hospitalization based on symptoms of shortness of breath (p<0.001), fatigue (p=0.015), loss of sense of smell (p=0.024), and other symptoms (p<0.001), taking anti-asthma and pulmonary drugs (p=0.006), and a history of smoking (p=0.002) was statistically significant. the mean and median scores of respiration rate (rr) (p<0.001), peripheral blood oxygen saturation (p<0.001), arterial oxygen relative pressure ratio to inspiratory oxygen fraction (p<0.001), blood ph (p=0.015), arterial blood oxygen pressure (p<0.001), and arterial blood oxygen saturation (p<0.001) showed a significant difference between the two groups of patients with and without icu hospitalization. in the final logistic regression model, fever (odds ratio (or)=4, p=0.005), a history of smoking (or =6.5, p=0.002), rr (or=1.2, p=0.004), and arterial oxygen relative pressure ratio to inspiratory oxygen fraction (or=0.974, p<0.001) were the most important predictors related to icu hospitalization in patients with covid-19. conclusion: the study results showed that identifying factors such as fever, a history of smoking, rr, and arterial oxygen relative pressure ratio to inspiratory oxygen fraction can help formulate prevention, treatment, and support plans for patients with covid-19.