The The PaO2/FiO2 ratio on admission is independently associated with prolonged hospitalization in COVID-19 patients

Introduction: The early identification of factors that predict the length hospital stay (HS) in patients affected by coronavirus desease (COVID-19) might assist therapeutic decisions and patient flow management.
 Methodology: We collected, at time admission, routine clinical, laboratory, imaging parameters hypoxia, lung damage, inflammation, organ dysfunction a consecutive series 50 COVID-19 admitted to Respiratory Disease Infectious Units University Hospital Sassari (North-Sardinia, Italy) alive on discharge.
 Results: Prolonged HS (PHS, >21 days) had significantly lower PaO2/FiO2 ratio lymphocytes, higher Chest CT severity score, C-reactive protein (CRP) lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) when compared non-PHS patients. In univariate logistic regression, score (OR = 1.1891, p 0.007), intensity care 2.1350, 0.022), 0.9802, CRP 1.0952, 0.042) platelet lymphocyte 1.0039, 0.036) were associated with PHS. However, multivariate only remained correlated PHS 0.9164; 95% CI 0.8479-0.9904, 0.0275). ROC curve analysis, using threshold 248, predicted sensitivity specificity 60% 91%, respectively (AUC 0.780, 0.637-0.886 0.002).
 Conclusions: admission is independently Larger prospective studies are needed confirm this finding.