Impact of comorbidities on the average length of stay and mortality of COVID-19 patients in a hospital: In India

ObjectiveTo estimate the length of stay and proportional mortality in COVID patients in a COVID-dedicated hospital.MethodsA retrospective record review was done using medical records of COVID-19 in-patients, capturing the demographic, clinical, and laboratory details of admitted COVID patients, including serial samples for RTPCR/CBNAAT for Coronavirus. These details from electronic medical records were compared and collated for patients of different comorbidities to arrive at the average length of stay and case fatality rate and time duration for patients to turn COVID-negative.ResultsPatients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) had the highest Average Length of Stay (ALS) of 12.09 days in the hospital followed by patients with Hypertension (11.5 days). Patients without any comorbidities had ALS of 8.8 days. A combination of HTN, DM, coronary artery disease (CAD), and chronic kidney disease (CKD) had the highest ALS of 14.5 days. The average duration for patients to test negative is 16 days for patients without any comorbidities. The average duration between the first symptom and the negative test is the longest for DM (21 days) followed by HTN (19.5 days), cancer (19 days), and obesity (16 days). Among the 731 people who died in the observed time, the proportional mortality rate was highest with HTN (10.80%) followed by carcinoma (7.66%) and DM (6.56%), 32.55% had a combination of two or more comorbidities. 33.70% deceased didn't have any comorbidities.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of preparing for future outbreaks and sudden increases in cases. Based on our findings, we recommend Hospital administrators have a comprehensive approach to planning for the future, considering all relevant factors, including the epidemiology of the disease, the average length of stay, and mortality rates, to ensure that their hospitals are equipped to provide high-quality care to all patients.