Patient characterisation and adverse health care-related events in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients who died in a tertiary hospital()

Mena, Guillermo; Montané, Eva; Rodríguez, Mónica; Beroiz, Patricia; López-Núñez, Juan J.; Ballester, Mónica

OBJECTIVE: To characterize health care-related adverse events in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection who died in a tertiary hospital. METHODS: This is a retrospective, observational study, that included patients who died at HUGTiP hospital between 16 March and 10 April 2020. Data was extracted from the electronic medical record. RESULTS: The median age of the 164 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients who died in the center in the study period was 77.5 years and > 90% of patients had ≥ 1 comorbidity. Forty point two percent of patients had at least ≥ 1 health care-related adverse event. Twenty three point eight of patients had an adverse drug reaction, the leading cause of adverse events in patients who died. Of patients who died in intensive care units, the frequency of problems related to mechanical ventilation was 8.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Although the case fatality rate associated with the adverse events detected was very low, close monitoring of potential health care-related adverse events, especially drug reactions, as the therapeutic management of the disease remains unclear.