Major determinants of death in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the first epidemic wave in Madrid, Spain

Spain is one of the European countries most largely affected by COVID-19, being Madrid the epicenter. A good knowledge of the main features of hospitalized patients during the complete lockdown should improve the management of new COVID-19 surges. All patients hospitalized at one large tertiary hospital in Madrid for suspected COVID-19 pneumonia from March 1 to May 31 were retrospectively identified. A total of 1752 patients were admitted with suspected pneumonia due to SARS-CoV-2 infection during the 3-month study period. The peak of daily admissions (n = 84) was reached on March 24, whereas the maximal cumulative number of hospitalized patients (n = 626) occurred on March 30. Overall, 85.3% had a positive PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 at least once during admission. Their median age was 65 (54-77) and 59.9% were male. The median length of hospitalization was of 7 (4-13) days. Roughly 6.5% were admitted at the intensive care unit. Death occurred in 242 (13.8%). Overall, 75% of deaths occurred in patients older than 75 years-old. It was 38.2% in patients hospitalized older than 80 years-old versus 2.2% in patients younger than 60 years-old (p < 0.001). Up to 94 (38.8%) of deceased patients had been transferred from nursing homes. The median Charlson co-morbidity score was 6 in deceased patients. The in-hospital mortality rate during the first wave of COVID-19 in Madrid was 14%. It was largely driven by older age, the presence of underlying chronic conditions (>= 2) and living at nursing homes.

Automated summary

Spain, particularly Madrid, was heavily impacted by COVID-19, with about 1752 patients admitted with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. The median age of hospitalized patients was 65 years, with a 13.8% mortality rate.