Caseload Strain Linked to Patient Survival During Delta Wave of COVID-19
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Sept. 10, 2024 -- Across hospital types, there is a comparably detrimental relationship between COVID-19 caseload and patient survival, according to a study published online Sept. 10 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Maniraj Neupane, M.D., Ph.D., from the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine whether hospital type classified by capabilities and resources influenced COVID-19 volume-outcome relationships during the delta wave. The study included adult inpatients with COVID-19 admitted to 620 U.S. hospitals during July to November 2021.
Of the 620 hospitals recording 223,380 inpatients with COVID-19, 208 were extracorporeal membrane oxygenation-capable, 216 had multiple intensive care units (ICUs), 36 had large (≥200 beds) single ICUs, and 160 had small (<200 beds) single ICUs. The researchers found that 23 percent of the patients required admission to the ICU and 15.3 percent died. Per unit increase in the log surge index, the marginally adjusted probability for mortality was 5.51 percent (strain-attributable mortality: 7,375 or one in five COVID-19 deaths). Across the four hospital types, the test for interaction showed no difference in the log surge index-mortality relationship.
"We encourage future studies that examine whether the risks for high pandemic caseloads across hospital types identified in our study extend to patients with non-COVID-19 conditions during the pandemic and nonpandemic times," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted September 2024
Further Support and Information on COVID-19
Read this next
Parent-Reported Firearm Storage Poor Estimator of Teen Perceived Access
MONDAY, June 16, 2025 -- Parent-reported firearm storage seems to be a poor estimator of teen perceived firearm access, according to a study published online June 10 in JAMA...
CT Colonography Cost-Effective, Clinically Effective for CRC Screening
MONDAY, June 16, 2025 -- Computed tomography colonography (CTC) is cost-effective and clinically effective for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, according to a study published...
Global Incidence Rate of Rheumatoid Arthritis Increased From 1990 to 2021
MONDAY, June 16, 2025 -- The incidence rate of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increased globally from 1990 to 2021, with the heaviest burden born by regions with a high...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.