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Assessing the impact of glucocorticoids on COVID-19 mortality
Clinical question: Is early glucocorticoid therapy associated with reduced mortality or need for mechanical ventilation in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection?
Background: Glucocorticoids have been used as adjunctive treatment in some infections with inflammatory responses, but their efficacy in COVID-19 infections had not been entirely clear. The RECOVERY trial found a subset of patients with COVID-19 who may benefit from treatment with glucocorticoids. The ideal role of steroids in this infection, and who the subset of patients might be for whom they would benefit, is so far unclear.
Study design: Retrospective cohort analysis.
Setting: Large academic health center in New York.
Synopsis: Researchers analyzed admissions of COVID-19 positive patients hospitalized between March 11, 2020 and April 13, 2020 who did not die or become mechanically ventilated within the first 48 hours of admission. Patients treated with glucocorticoids within 48 hours of admission were compared with patients who were not treated with glucocorticoids during this time frame. In total, 2,998 patients were examined, of whom 1,806 met inclusion criteria, and 140 (7.7%) were treated with glucocorticoids within 48 hours of admission. These treated patients were more likely to have an underlying pulmonary or rheumatologic comorbidity. Early use of glucocorticoids was not associated with in-hospital mortality or mechanical ventilation in either adjusted or unadjusted models. However, if the initial C-reactive protein (CRP) was >20mg/dL, this was associated with a reduced risk of mortality or mechanical ventilation in unadjusted (odds ratio, 0.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.08-0.70) and adjusted analyses for clinical characteristics (adjusted OR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.06-0.67). Conversely, treatment in patients with CRP <10mg/dL was associated with significantly increased risk of mortality or ventilation during analysis.
Bottom line: Glucocorticoids can benefit patients with significantly elevated CRP but may be harmful to those with lower CRPs.
Citation: Keller MJ et al. Effect of systemic glucocorticoids on mortality or mechanical ventilation in patients with COVID-19. J Hosp Med. 2020;8;489-493. Published online first. 2020 Jul 22. doi:10.12788/jhm.3497.
Dr. Halpern is a med-peds hospitalist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Clinical question: Is early glucocorticoid therapy associated with reduced mortality or need for mechanical ventilation in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection?
Background: Glucocorticoids have been used as adjunctive treatment in some infections with inflammatory responses, but their efficacy in COVID-19 infections had not been entirely clear. The RECOVERY trial found a subset of patients with COVID-19 who may benefit from treatment with glucocorticoids. The ideal role of steroids in this infection, and who the subset of patients might be for whom they would benefit, is so far unclear.
Study design: Retrospective cohort analysis.
Setting: Large academic health center in New York.
Synopsis: Researchers analyzed admissions of COVID-19 positive patients hospitalized between March 11, 2020 and April 13, 2020 who did not die or become mechanically ventilated within the first 48 hours of admission. Patients treated with glucocorticoids within 48 hours of admission were compared with patients who were not treated with glucocorticoids during this time frame. In total, 2,998 patients were examined, of whom 1,806 met inclusion criteria, and 140 (7.7%) were treated with glucocorticoids within 48 hours of admission. These treated patients were more likely to have an underlying pulmonary or rheumatologic comorbidity. Early use of glucocorticoids was not associated with in-hospital mortality or mechanical ventilation in either adjusted or unadjusted models. However, if the initial C-reactive protein (CRP) was >20mg/dL, this was associated with a reduced risk of mortality or mechanical ventilation in unadjusted (odds ratio, 0.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.08-0.70) and adjusted analyses for clinical characteristics (adjusted OR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.06-0.67). Conversely, treatment in patients with CRP <10mg/dL was associated with significantly increased risk of mortality or ventilation during analysis.
Bottom line: Glucocorticoids can benefit patients with significantly elevated CRP but may be harmful to those with lower CRPs.
Citation: Keller MJ et al. Effect of systemic glucocorticoids on mortality or mechanical ventilation in patients with COVID-19. J Hosp Med. 2020;8;489-493. Published online first. 2020 Jul 22. doi:10.12788/jhm.3497.
Dr. Halpern is a med-peds hospitalist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Clinical question: Is early glucocorticoid therapy associated with reduced mortality or need for mechanical ventilation in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection?
Background: Glucocorticoids have been used as adjunctive treatment in some infections with inflammatory responses, but their efficacy in COVID-19 infections had not been entirely clear. The RECOVERY trial found a subset of patients with COVID-19 who may benefit from treatment with glucocorticoids. The ideal role of steroids in this infection, and who the subset of patients might be for whom they would benefit, is so far unclear.
Study design: Retrospective cohort analysis.
Setting: Large academic health center in New York.
Synopsis: Researchers analyzed admissions of COVID-19 positive patients hospitalized between March 11, 2020 and April 13, 2020 who did not die or become mechanically ventilated within the first 48 hours of admission. Patients treated with glucocorticoids within 48 hours of admission were compared with patients who were not treated with glucocorticoids during this time frame. In total, 2,998 patients were examined, of whom 1,806 met inclusion criteria, and 140 (7.7%) were treated with glucocorticoids within 48 hours of admission. These treated patients were more likely to have an underlying pulmonary or rheumatologic comorbidity. Early use of glucocorticoids was not associated with in-hospital mortality or mechanical ventilation in either adjusted or unadjusted models. However, if the initial C-reactive protein (CRP) was >20mg/dL, this was associated with a reduced risk of mortality or mechanical ventilation in unadjusted (odds ratio, 0.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.08-0.70) and adjusted analyses for clinical characteristics (adjusted OR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.06-0.67). Conversely, treatment in patients with CRP <10mg/dL was associated with significantly increased risk of mortality or ventilation during analysis.
Bottom line: Glucocorticoids can benefit patients with significantly elevated CRP but may be harmful to those with lower CRPs.
Citation: Keller MJ et al. Effect of systemic glucocorticoids on mortality or mechanical ventilation in patients with COVID-19. J Hosp Med. 2020;8;489-493. Published online first. 2020 Jul 22. doi:10.12788/jhm.3497.
Dr. Halpern is a med-peds hospitalist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
FROM THE JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MEDICINE
Mortality rate of SARS-CoV-2 for similar patients is declining over time
Clinical question: Is the observed drop in COVID-19 mortality caused by changing demographics or improvements in patient care?
Background: At the start of the pandemic, COVID-19 had high mortality rates (6.9% in April according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). More recently, the mortality rate had decreased to 1.9% of diagnosed cases at the end of September 2020. Concurrently, the median age of confirmed cases dropped as well, from 46 to 38 years, and availability of testing has expanded. It remains unclear whether the drop in mortality rate is because of affected patients with fewer comorbidities, less symptomatic patients, or improvements in clinical care.
Study design: Retrospective cohort study.
Setting: Large urban academic health system.
Synopsis: Researchers analyzed admissions from March 1 through Aug. 31, 2020, to NYU Langone Health System in New York of patients older than 18 years with laboratory-confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2 during the hospitalization or in the preceding 2 weeks. In total, 5,118 patients qualified for analysis, of which 53% were hospitalized during March and April. Two separate multivariate logistic regression models for mortality were created based on patient demographics, comorbidities, and presenting vital signs and lab-result abnormalities. In the first model, the month of admission was not included, and the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) – the ratio of the sum of observed and expected deaths – for each month was obtained. In the second model, the month of admission was included as a covariate, and the average marginal effect (AME) – the difference in probability of death or discharge to hospice between March and a subsequent time period for equivalent patients – was calculated. The SMR declined progressively over time from 1.26 (95% confidence interval, 1.15-1.39) in March to 0.38 (95% CI, 0.12-0.88) in August. When accounting for demographic and clinical severity changes, the adjusted AME declined every subsequent month after March reaching a maximum of 18.2 (95% CI, 12.0-24.4) percentage point decrease in probability of death in August.
Bottom line: Mortality from SARS-CoV-2 was significantly lower at the end of the 6-month period when adjusted for demographic and clinical factors for patients admitted to a single health care system in the United States.
Citation: Horwitz LI et al. Trends in COVID-19 Risk-Adjusted Mortality Rates. J Hosp Med. 2020 Oct 23. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3552
Dr. Halpern is a med-peds hospitalist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Clinical question: Is the observed drop in COVID-19 mortality caused by changing demographics or improvements in patient care?
Background: At the start of the pandemic, COVID-19 had high mortality rates (6.9% in April according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). More recently, the mortality rate had decreased to 1.9% of diagnosed cases at the end of September 2020. Concurrently, the median age of confirmed cases dropped as well, from 46 to 38 years, and availability of testing has expanded. It remains unclear whether the drop in mortality rate is because of affected patients with fewer comorbidities, less symptomatic patients, or improvements in clinical care.
Study design: Retrospective cohort study.
Setting: Large urban academic health system.
Synopsis: Researchers analyzed admissions from March 1 through Aug. 31, 2020, to NYU Langone Health System in New York of patients older than 18 years with laboratory-confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2 during the hospitalization or in the preceding 2 weeks. In total, 5,118 patients qualified for analysis, of which 53% were hospitalized during March and April. Two separate multivariate logistic regression models for mortality were created based on patient demographics, comorbidities, and presenting vital signs and lab-result abnormalities. In the first model, the month of admission was not included, and the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) – the ratio of the sum of observed and expected deaths – for each month was obtained. In the second model, the month of admission was included as a covariate, and the average marginal effect (AME) – the difference in probability of death or discharge to hospice between March and a subsequent time period for equivalent patients – was calculated. The SMR declined progressively over time from 1.26 (95% confidence interval, 1.15-1.39) in March to 0.38 (95% CI, 0.12-0.88) in August. When accounting for demographic and clinical severity changes, the adjusted AME declined every subsequent month after March reaching a maximum of 18.2 (95% CI, 12.0-24.4) percentage point decrease in probability of death in August.
Bottom line: Mortality from SARS-CoV-2 was significantly lower at the end of the 6-month period when adjusted for demographic and clinical factors for patients admitted to a single health care system in the United States.
Citation: Horwitz LI et al. Trends in COVID-19 Risk-Adjusted Mortality Rates. J Hosp Med. 2020 Oct 23. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3552
Dr. Halpern is a med-peds hospitalist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Clinical question: Is the observed drop in COVID-19 mortality caused by changing demographics or improvements in patient care?
Background: At the start of the pandemic, COVID-19 had high mortality rates (6.9% in April according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). More recently, the mortality rate had decreased to 1.9% of diagnosed cases at the end of September 2020. Concurrently, the median age of confirmed cases dropped as well, from 46 to 38 years, and availability of testing has expanded. It remains unclear whether the drop in mortality rate is because of affected patients with fewer comorbidities, less symptomatic patients, or improvements in clinical care.
Study design: Retrospective cohort study.
Setting: Large urban academic health system.
Synopsis: Researchers analyzed admissions from March 1 through Aug. 31, 2020, to NYU Langone Health System in New York of patients older than 18 years with laboratory-confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2 during the hospitalization or in the preceding 2 weeks. In total, 5,118 patients qualified for analysis, of which 53% were hospitalized during March and April. Two separate multivariate logistic regression models for mortality were created based on patient demographics, comorbidities, and presenting vital signs and lab-result abnormalities. In the first model, the month of admission was not included, and the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) – the ratio of the sum of observed and expected deaths – for each month was obtained. In the second model, the month of admission was included as a covariate, and the average marginal effect (AME) – the difference in probability of death or discharge to hospice between March and a subsequent time period for equivalent patients – was calculated. The SMR declined progressively over time from 1.26 (95% confidence interval, 1.15-1.39) in March to 0.38 (95% CI, 0.12-0.88) in August. When accounting for demographic and clinical severity changes, the adjusted AME declined every subsequent month after March reaching a maximum of 18.2 (95% CI, 12.0-24.4) percentage point decrease in probability of death in August.
Bottom line: Mortality from SARS-CoV-2 was significantly lower at the end of the 6-month period when adjusted for demographic and clinical factors for patients admitted to a single health care system in the United States.
Citation: Horwitz LI et al. Trends in COVID-19 Risk-Adjusted Mortality Rates. J Hosp Med. 2020 Oct 23. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3552
Dr. Halpern is a med-peds hospitalist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
FROM THE JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MEDICINE