Background:The limited data available so far has shown a high mortality rate among COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU. Possible risk factors for poor outcomes in this type of patients need to be analyzed so we can identify strategies to reduce mortality. Objective: Characterized the COVID-19 experience in Community hospital ICU. Methods: Single center retrospective cohort study involving all adult patients admitted to the ICU with severe COVID-19 infection. Results: 132 patients were admitted to ICU during the study period. There was a preponderance for males and the most common ethnicity was Hispanic. The overall mortality was 69%, and mortality after intubation was 76%. In the multivariable analysis older Age (OR = 15.7), Obesity (OR = 2.92) and Mechanical Ventilation (OR = 12.0) were found to be a significant independent risk factor for increased mortality. Conclusion:Our study confirms the high mortality rate in patients critically ill with COVID-19 requiring ICU care especially among older age group, mechanically ventilated and obese patients. Overall outcomes are comparable to larger tertiary care centers. Our findings highlight the need to plan for optimal resource allocation and tailoring therapies to target the disease so as to improve outcomes.

Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome associated with high mortality and morbidity, creating a major public healthcare problem. It has a variety of etiologies, including substance abuse. Cocaine-induced cardiotoxicity is caused by direct effects of inhibition of sodium channels and indirect effects by inhibiting catecholamine uptake leading to increased sympathetic activity. Management is through the cessation of cocaine use and implantation of guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure with the exception of beta-blockers as their safe usage is still controversial due to the risk of the unopposed alpha-adrenergic activity. Dexmedetomidine (Precedex) and Benzodiazepines (i.e., midazolam) are options for patients that demonstrate signs and symptoms of acute cocaine intoxication. If the actions of benzodiazepines fail to achieve hemodynamic stability, nitroglycerin may be used (especially in patients with cocaine-associated chest pain and hypertension). Cardiac transplantation is recommended for those who have demonstrated severe cardiovascular disease from cocaine. We present a 43-year-old male with a long-standing history of cocaine use who developed cardiomyopathy and severe acute decompensated heart failure found to have an ejection fraction of <20% admitted to the intensive care unit. He required inotropic support with milrinone and mechanical ventilation. He was later extubated and then discharged with an outpatient evaluation for a cardiac transplant.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV- 2) was declared a pandemic by WHO in March 2020. The causative organism has since undergone a series of mutations. COVID-19 primarily being a respiratory illness causes pre-existing pulmonary diseases to show worse clinical outcomes. About one-third of the world’s population is thought to be infected with latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Both previous and newly developed tuberculosis (TB) infection are risk factors for COVID-19 and are associated with poor outcomes. T lymphocytes play a pivotal role in defense against MTB and with evidence suggesting depletion of T lymphocytes in COVID-19, it can be postulated that COVID-19 can increase the risk of reactivation of latent TB. Given that a large population around the globe is infected with latent tuberculosis, it is interesting to study and note cases where the virus leads to the reactivation of latent tuberculosis infection. Herein, we present a 76-year-old Brazilian male recently treated for COVID-19 pneumonia, presenting with new-onset cough and weakness diagnosed with latent MTB reactivation.

The new coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), that causes the highly contagious coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to an unprecedented global health crisis. Infected patients have been shown to trigger a heightened inflammatory response, increasing thrombotic risk. We report the case of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed COVID-19 in a Hispanic male with no past medical history who presented to the ED with upper respiratory tract symptoms including shortness of breath and cough, requiring continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. He was found to have a right ventricular thrombus (RVT) and bilateral deep vein thrombosis (DVT) on the day of admission, which were detected on transthoracic echocardiogram and duplex venous ultrasound, respectively. The patient was started on therapeutic enoxaparin sodium, which led to an improvement in oxygenation, and he was eventually downgraded to the medical floors for further management.