Prospective cohort study of patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in the Internal Medicine ward of Hospital Durand: study protocol

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The identification of poor clinical outcome predictors in patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) allows early recognition of those with a worse prognosis, thus providing better tools for clinical decision-making. A cohort study protocol is hereby presented, wielding as the primary goal to identify risk factors for severe and critical infection together with in-hospital death in patients with COVID-19 admitted to the Internal Medicine Ward of Hospital Durand (Buenos Aires, Argentina). METHODS: Single-center prospective cohort study. It will include all patients admitted to the Internal Medicine ward with a diagnosis of COVID-19 during the study period. Epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics as well as treatment data will be collected upon patients´ admission and until discharge or inhospital death. The main outcome is in-hospital mortality, while secondary outcomes are the development of severe and critical illness, admission to the intensive care unit, and requirement of invasive mechanical ventilation