PA report says sepsis is an accomplice in COVID-19 deaths

Kent Jackson, Standard-Speaker, Hazleton, Pa.
·2 min read

Apr. 28—A report released Wednesday about hospitalizations in Pennsylvania during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic pointed to sepsis as an accomplice in deaths from the disease.

In 30.5% of cases COVID-19 patients also had sepsis, a life-threatening condition in which inflammatory responses to an infection can lead to organ failure.

"Patients who had COVID-19 and sepsis had higher in-hospital mortality rates and stayed in the hospital longer, with a higher percentage needing mechanical ventilation," the report by Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council said.

Dr. Anthony Valente, chief medical officer at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton, said sepsis is a reaction to viruses like one that causes COVID-19, fungi or other infections.

Most people with COVID-19 who require critical care have symptoms that meet the medical definition for sepsis.

Commonly, they have lung problems classed as acute respiratory distress syndrome.

But the brain, kidney and other systems can be involved.

"Organs go like dominos," Valente said.

As treatment, doctors prescribe a drug called tocilizumab — "We call it toci," Valente says — that reduces inflammation.

They also give the antiviral drug Remdesivir early in the onset. If the inflammatory syndrome worsens, doctors give Decadron, a corticosteroid.

Results vary with patients. Valente said researchers are investigating why treatment works better in some cases than others.

For hospital patients with sepsis and COVID-19, the mortality rate was 30.5% compared with 7.6% for patients with COVID-19 alone, the report said.

Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council counted 26,266 hospitalizations between March and September last year, but 73% of them occurred by June.

Male patients had higher death rates, 18.25%, than females, 14.3%, the report said.

Hospitalization rates per 10,000 people were higher for Blacks, 43.1 and Hispanics, 22.6, than for Asians, 11, and whites, 8.7.

Whites, however, had the highest death rates in hospitals, 19.1%, followed by: Asians, 15.7%, Blacks, 15.3% and Hispanics, 9.7%.

Rates of hospitalization were greater for communities where higher shares of residents lived below the poverty rate.

With age, hospitalization and mortality rates increased, especially for those older than 55. People 65 and older were more likely to have sepsis and COVID-19.

Children and teenagers made up 1% of patients with COVID-19. From March to June, 195 of 19,177 patients were younger than 18.

Contact the writer: kjackson@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3587