Evaluation of arterial blood gas (ABG) in COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units in Ardabil Imam Khomeini Hospital from April to September 2021: a descriptive study

Background: Given the high mortality rate among COVID-19 patients, particularly those admitted to intensive care units, and considering the various factors contributing to these outcomes, it seems that evaluating arterial blood gases (ABG) at the time of admission and through serial assessments can be effective in the management and treatment of such patients.This study aimed to determine the ABG parameters in COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU of a hospital in Ardabil.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 197 patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted to the intensive care unit of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ardabil in 2021.Demographic information including age, sex, history of underlying diseases, history of medication use, and clinical data such as symptoms, patient outcomes (recovery or death), and arterial blood gas parameters (in terms of acid-base status) were extracted from medical records.Results: A total of 85 patients (43.1%) were male and 112 patients (56.9%) were female.The mean pH was 7.25 0.28, the mean PaO was 76.14 13.89 mmHg, the mean PaCO was 40.08 5.95 mmHg, and the mean HCO was 25.30 5.01 mEq/L.None of the ABG parameters showed a statistically significant difference based on sex or clinical outcomes (p > 0.05).Regarding acidbase disturbances, 29 patients (12.9%) had metabolic acidosis, 31 patients (13.8%) had metabolic alkalosis, 84 patients (37.5%) had respiratory acidosis, 41 patients (18.3%) had respiratory alkalosis, and 12 patients had normal ABG findings.Conclusion: Patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 symptoms had a high prevalence of acid-base imbalances.Respiratory acidosis and respiratory alkalosis were the most common acid-base disturbances observed in this patient population.