Summary
Healthcare activity of an emergency ventilation unit in the emergency room during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
Sonia Galicia Puyol1, Isabel Gil Rosa2, Juan Javier García Fernández3, Juan José Guerras Conesa4, José Andrés Sánchez Nicolás5, César Cinesi Gómez5
Affiliation of the authors
1Servicio de Urgencias, Hospital General los Arcos del Mar Menor, Murcia, Spain. 2Servicio de Urgencias y Emergencias Médicas 061, Gerencia 061, Murcia, Spain. 3Centro de Salud de San Diego, Murcia, Spain. 4Servicio de Urgencias, Hospital Rafael Méndez, Murcia. Spain. 5Servicio de Urgencias, Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía, Murcia, Spain.
DOI
Quote
Galicia Puyol S, Gil Rosa I, García Fernández JJ, Guerras Conesa JJ, Sánchez Nicolás JA, Cinesi Gómez C. Healthcare activity of an emergency ventilation unit in the emergency room during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Rev Esp Urg Emerg. 2026;5:268-72
Summary
OBJECTIVES. To study the care activity of an Emergency Ventilation Unit (UVENURG), analyzing treated patients’ characteristics, failure rate and relationship between NIV failure and different clinical factors.
MATERIAL AND METHODS. Retrospective descriptive observational study of patients who started NIV at the UVENURG of the Hospital General Universitario Reina Sofía between 08/03/2020-26/05/2021. Demographic variables, comorbidity, clinical and laboratory data, aetiology, ventilatory mode, and SOFA score were collected, defining failure as escalation to invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) or death.
RESULTS. A total of 8,040 patients were attended; 384 (4.77 %) started NIV. Mean age was 77 years. 50.5 % were male, multimorbid, and 29.2 % were on home oxygen therapy. Mean respiratory rate was 27.3 breaths/min; SpO2/FiO2, 322.5; the predominant symptom was dyspnoea (86.7 %), with RALE 0 in 51 %. Heart failure was the most frequent diagnosis (51 %), followed by COPD exacerbation (32 %) and COVID-19 (15.4 %). Ventilatory modes: bilevel 78.9 %, CPAP 7.3 %, and mixed 13 %. NIV failed in 22.1 % of patients (4.5 % IMV and 20.3 % death). Failure was associated with: male sex, fever, COVID-19, prior oxygen therapy, and mixed mode. There were significant differences in blood pressure, heart and respiratory rate, SpO2, proBNP, CRP, procalcitonin, pH, pCO2, lactate, and SOFA.
CONCLUSIONS. UVENURG creation during the pandemic did not affect the obtained results when treating classic pathologies such as cardiogenic pulmonary edema and exacerbation of COPD. The NIMV failure rate for patients affected by COVID-19 is like other series, and higher than previous pathologies.