Abstract

Introduction: Tartu University Hospital (TUH) is one of the largest hospitals in Estonia where COVID-19 patients are being treated. However, studies investigating the management and outcomes of COVID-19 patients in Estonia are currently lacking. Thus, we initiated an investigation to document the demographic profile, management and outcomes of COVID 19 patients managed in TUH.
Methods: All COVID-19 patients admitted to the TUH between 01/2021 and 12/2021 were retrospectively identified. The patients that were managed in the nursing department were excluded from the further investigation. Data collected included demographics, management, hospital length of stay (HLOS) and in-hospital outcomes.
Results: Overall, 1819 COVID-19 patients were treated in TUH in 2021. Median age was 64 years and 50% were male. About one third of the patients were at least 75 years old. 1475 (81,1%) patients were managed in the regular ward and the median HLOS was 7 days. 100 (6,8%) patients managed in the regular ward died, 79 of them were at least 75 years old. 344 (18,9%) patients were managed in the ICU, 233 (67,7%) needed mechanical ventilation and 26 (7,5%) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. The mortality of the patients managed in the ICU, needing mechanical ventilation, and ECMO support were 25,4%, 28,3% and 44,4%, respectively.
Conclusions: Even though the COVID-19 surge had a significant impact on the daily patient care in TUH, the demographics and outcomes were comparable with international data.