Hospital lethality due to COVID-19: approach from the experience of a hospital in eastern Cuba

Abstract

Background: The magnitude of the expansion of COVID-19 motivates a deep critical review of the statistics generated at the local level, for a greater understanding of the pandemic in Cuba.

Aim: To describe the behavior of in-hospital fatality due to COVID-19.

Method: Mixed epidemiological, descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional and longitudinal study; based on computerized records of hospital admissions for COVID-19, registered on the GALENCLINIC platform, between May and September 2021 at the Saturnino Lora Provincial Hospital.

Results: 3362 patients with a virological diagnosis of COVID-19, with an average age of 59.6 ± 0.66 years; 42.74 % male; with 48.06 % aged ≥65 years. 75.6 % were asymptomatic; only 10.02 % of cases with clinical presentation with respiratory symptoms. The overall fatality was 4.22 %. The 65.49 % of the decreases occurred after 48 hours of hospital admission. The fatality rate in asymptomatic patients was 2.71 % vs. 11.7 % in patients with Respiratory Clinic, with significant differences (0.0000*), with a noticeably high risk of dying in the latter (OR = 5.02; 95 %_CI:4.25-5.93). The risk of death was accentuated in male subjects (OR = 2.14; 95 %_CI: 1.85-2.47) and those aged 65 years or older (OR = 2.48; 95 %_CI: 2.13 -2.89). The risk of death after 48 hours of admission was slightly higher in asymptomatic patients compared to patients with clinical conditions of special interest (OR = 1.43, 95 %_CI:1.03-2.00).

Conclusions: The behavior of in-hospital fatality due to COVID-19 in the study population was similar to the best experiences reported internationally.