{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,2]],"date-time":"2025-11-02T06:25:22Z","timestamp":1762064722554,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,29]],"date-time":"2022-08-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1661731200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The intermediate respiratory care units (IRCUs) have a pivotal role managing escalation and de-escalation between the general wards and the intensive care units (ICUs). Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the early detection of patients that could improve on non-invasive respiratory therapies (NRTs) in IRCUs without invasive approaches is crucial to ensure proper medical management and optimize limiting ICU resources. The aim of this study was to assess factors associated with survival, ICU admission and intubation likelihood in COVID-19 patients admitted to IRCUs. Observational retrospective study in consecutive patients admitted to the IRCU of a tertiary hospital from March 2020 to April 2021. Inclusion criteria: hypoxemic respiratory failure (SpO2 \u2264 94% and\/or respiratory rate \u2265 25 rpm with FiO2 &gt; 50% supplementary oxygen) due to acute COVID-19 infection. Demographic, comorbidities, clinical and analytical data, and medical and NRT data were collected at IRCU admission. Multivariate logistic regression models assessed factors associated with survival, ICU admission, and intubation. From 679 patients, 79 patients (12%) had an order to not do intubation. From the remaining 600 (88%), 81% survived, 41% needed ICU admission and 37% required intubation. In the IRCU, 51% required non-invasive ventilation (NIV group) and 49% did not (non-NIV group). Older age and lack of corticosteroid treatment were associated with higher mortality and intubation risk in the scheme, which could be more beneficial in severe forms. Initial NIV does not always mean worse outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph191710772","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,29]],"date-time":"2022-08-29T21:01:31Z","timestamp":1661806891000},"page":"10772","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Outcomes of COVID-19 Patients Admitted to the Intermediate Respiratory Care Unit: Non-Invasive Respiratory Therapy in a Sequential Protocol"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Merc\u00e8","family":"Gasa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Respiratory Department, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, 08907 L\u2019Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Medicine, Campus Bellvitge, Universitat de Barcelona, 08907 L\u2019Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1395-7157","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yolanda","family":"Ruiz-Albert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Respiratory Department, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, 08907 L\u2019Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ana","family":"Cordoba-Izquierdo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Respiratory Department, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, 08907 L\u2019Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2730-7160","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mikel","family":"Sarasate","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Respiratory Department, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, 08907 L\u2019Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7999-994X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ester","family":"Cuevas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Respiratory Department, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, 08907 L\u2019Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2320-6047","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Guillermo","family":"Suarez-Cuartin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Respiratory Department, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, 08907 L\u2019Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8129-9539","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lidia","family":"M\u00e9ndez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Respiratory Department, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, 08907 L\u2019Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6120-6430","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Julio-C\u00e9sar","family":"Alfaro-\u00c1lvarez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Respiratory Department, Viladecans Hospital, 08840 Viladecans, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Joan","family":"Sabater-Riera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Critical Care Department, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, 08907 L\u2019Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xos\u00e9","family":"P\u00e9rez-Fern\u00e1ndez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Critical Care Department, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, 08907 L\u2019Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mar\u00eda","family":"Molina-Molina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Respiratory Department, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, 08907 L\u2019Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Medicine, Campus Bellvitge, Universitat de Barcelona, 08907 L\u2019Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5835-1028","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Salud","family":"Santos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Respiratory Department, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, 08907 L\u2019Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Medicine, Campus Bellvitge, Universitat de Barcelona, 08907 L\u2019Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"1239","article-title":"Characteristics of and Important Lessons from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak in China: Summary of a Report of 72,314 Cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention","volume":"7","author":"Wu","year":"2019","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"8038460","article-title":"Utilisation of Intermediate Care Units: A Systematic Review","volume":"2017","author":"Plate","year":"2017","journal-title":"Crit. 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