Open AccessImpact of prone position on outcomes of COVID-19 patients with spontaneous breathing
Author(s) -
Mabrouk Bahloul,
Sana Kharrat,
Malek Hfidhi,
Anis Maalla,
Olfa Turki,
Kamilia Chtara,
Rania Ammar,
Basma Suissi,
Chokri Ben Hamida,
Hédi Chelly,
Khaiereddine Ben Mahfoudh,
Mounir Bouaziz
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
acute and critical care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.345
H-Index - 4
eISSN - 2586-6060
pISSN - 2586-6052
DOI - 10.4266/acc.2021.00500
Subject(s) - medicine , tachypnea , hypoxemia , mechanical ventilation , respiratory rate , spontaneous breathing trial , prone position , intensive care unit , ventilation (architecture) , pulse oximetry , respiratory distress , anesthesia , oxygen saturation , breathing , respiratory failure , heart rate , oxygen , blood pressure , mechanical engineering , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering , tachycardia
Background: In this study, we explored whether early application of the prone position (PP) can improve severe hypoxemia and respiratory failure in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with spontaneous breathing.Methods: This is a prospective observational study of severe, critically ill adult COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit. All vital parameters were recorded in real time for all patients. Moreover, the results of chest computed tomography (CT), when available, were analyzed.Results: PP was applied in 21 patients who were breathing spontaneously. The application of PP was associated with a significant increase in oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry (SpO2) from 82%±12% to 96%±3% (P 0.05 for both).Conclusions: Our study confirmed that the early application of PP can improve hypoxemia and tachypnea in COVID-19 patients with spontaneous breathing. Randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the beneficial effects of PP in COVID-19 patients with spontaneous breathing.