Long-term survival after intensive care for COVID-19: a nationwide cohort study of more than 8000 patients

Elsa Hägglöf, Max Bell, Erik Zettersten, Lars Engerström, Emma Larsson

Was it worth it-what is the outcome after the extended ICU (intensive care unit) length of stay for COVID-19 patients? Surprisingly, data on long-term mortality in large cohorts are lacking. We investigate long-term mortality including differences between men and women, as previous studies show that men generally suffer a more severe course of COVID-19 in terms of severity of illness and short-term mortality. Nationwide cohort including all adult COVID-19 patients admitted to Swedish ICUs until August 12, 2022. Primary outcome was 360-day mortality after ICU admission. Logistic regression was used to estimate associations between demographics, comorbidities, clinical characteristics and mortality. In total, 8392 patients were included. Median (IQR) age was 63 (52-72) years and the majority (70.1%) were men. Among the 7390 patients with complete 360-day mortality data, 1775 (24.4%) patients died within 30 days, 2125 (28.8%) within 90 days and 2206 (29.8%) within 360 days from ICU admission. 360-day mortality was 27.1% in women and 31.0% in men. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed increased risk of 360-day mortality in men compared to women (OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.17-1.52). Other variables associated with poor 360-day mortality were age, cardiac disease, COPD/asthma, diabetes, immune deficiency, chronic kidney disease, neuromuscular disease, and malignancy. This study confirms the increased severity of disease in critically ill men with COVID-19, even in a long-term perspective. However, mortality beyond 90 days was strikingly low, indicating high probability of survival after the acute phase of illness.