Title: Favipiravir Experience in COVID-19 Patients at a Tertiary Center Intensive Care Unit
Abstract: Center Intensive Care UnitC OVID-19 is the disease caused by severe acute respira- tory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and may present in different clinical scenarios: About 80% of patients present with mild, 13.8% present with severe disease, and 6.1% with critical disease. [1]According to the guidelines published by the Ministry of Health in Turkey, patients with severe and critical disease were advised to be admitted to intensive care unit (ICU). [2]Turkey diagnosed Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare intensive care unit (ICU) and overall hospital mortality in patients treated with favipiravir and lopinavir-ritonavir for COVID-19.Methods: Data were collected retrospectively between March 10 and May 10, 2020, from patients' records admitted to ICU due to COVID-19.Laboratory data, clinical characteristics, ICU and hospital mortality, ICU and hospital length of stay were compared in patients treated with favipiravir and lopinavir-ritonavir.Results: A total of 100 patients' data were investigated.Favipiravir was used as the treatment for 85% of patients, with the rest treated with lopinavir-ritonavir.Clinical and laboratory data of both antiviral treatment groups were similar.Length of hospital stay was 16 (9-24) days with favipiravir and 8.5 (5-12.5)days with lopinavir-ritonavir (p=0.002).Length of ICU stay for favipiravir and lopinavir-ritonavir groups were 8 (5-15) days and 4 (3-9) days, respectively (p=0.011).ICU mortality was 65.9% for the favipiravir and 80% for lopinavir-ritonavir (p=0.002).Hospital mortality for favipiravir and lopinavir-ritonavir was 67.1% and 80%, respectively (p=0.001). Conclusion:The mortality in patients treated with favipiravir was less than patients treated with lopinavir-ritonavir.Favipiravir needs more attention and trials for its effect to be confirmed.