Intensive Care Unit of COVID-19 during the Different Waves of Outbreaks in Jahrom, South of Iran

Introduction: The apt description of COVID-19’s clinical course throughout hospitalization provides experiences for dealing with subsequent outbreaks, especially in patients with severe COVID-19 who get admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). This study aimed to evaluate the symptomatology of patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU of Peymaniyeh Hospital in Jahrom in the first to the fifth wave of coronavirus. Methods: This study was a descriptive-analytical on all ICU admitted COVID-19 patients during different outbreaks of COVID-19 from 2020 to 2022. Demographic data, symptomology at admission, and COVID-19 history were recorded along with the intubation rate. Data were compared among 5 different peaks of the COVID-19 in the whole country. Results: Three-hundred sixty-nine patients were evaluated in this study. There was a significant difference between gender and hospitalization in the first to the fifth wave (P 0.005). In the first, second, and third waves, the frequency of hospitalization was higher in men than women, while reversed in the fourth and fifth waves. There was a significant difference between the first and fifth waves in terms of fever symptoms, loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, chest pain, and lethargy (P 0.05). Respiratory distress was the most common symptom in the first to the fifth wave followed by chest pain, cough and fever were most common after respiratory distress. Conclusion: diverse symptomatology in different waves of COVID-19 was found in our study, addressing the need for rapid clinical responses and policies specified for any new wave of outbreak.