Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)
Emergency complications develops in ~20% of severe/critical COVID patients.
It results from excessive pathological immune response to viral pathogen.
The cytokine storm that follows is a form of virus induced haemophagic lymphohistiocytosis.
ARDS causes severe oxygen diffusion impairment.
The severity of ventilatory impairment can be quantified by PF Ratio; See link for PF Ratio calculation:
- Mild – PF ratio 200-300mmHg
- Moderate – PF ratio 100-200mmHg
- Severe – PF ratio <100mmHg
Many online calculators are available online, this is one such example:
Critical COVID
The following pages detail complications associated with critical COVID:
Sepsis
Organ dysfunction caused by dysregulated host response to suspected or proven infection as evidenced by:
- Altered mental state
- hypoxia
- reduced urine output
- tacharrythmia
- peripherally shutdown
- low BP
- skin changes
- coagulopathy
- thrombocytopenia
- acidosis
- high lactate
- hyperbilirubinaemia
Septic Shock
Persistent hypotension refractory to volume resuscitation, often with serum lactate >2mmol/Land requires vasopressors to maintain MAP >65mmHg.
