Effectiveness of Awake Prone Positioning in Improving Oxygenation Among COVID-19 Patients in the Isolation Unit of Baghdad Teaching Hospital

Background: Between April and October 2020, a randomized, prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted at the temporary COVID-19 isolation unit of Baghdad Teaching Hospital to evaluate the effectiveness of awake prone positioning in improving oxygenation among patients and delaying the need of intubation and None-Invasive Ventilation (NIVP). Patients and Methods: A hundred and forty six (146) confirmed COVID-19 patients by PCR were included in this study. The patients’ sample consisted of: 30 patients with oxygen saturations between 80-90% on O2 mask, 87 patients with oxygen saturations between 70-80% on O2 mask and 29 patients with oxygen saturations below 70% on simple O2 mask. Results: Awake prone position technique was used in all cases included in this study, the effectiveness of this technique was marked among patients with oxygen saturations between 80-90% that reached 100%, fair response was noticed among patients with oxygen saturations between 70-80%; the percentage of positive response of patients in this group reached 40%, this technique has no effect on patients with oxygen saturations below 70% since no positive response was recorded among them. It should be noticed that awake prone positioning is not replacing the usual care for management given to patients with COVID-19 (Antibiotics, antipyretics, vitamins, anticoagulants and chest physiotherapy). Recommendation: It’s recommended to use prone positioning for patients with oxygen saturations above 70%.