High mortality rates among COVID-19 intensive care patients in Iraq: insights from a retrospective cohort study at Médecins Sans Frontières supported hospital in Baghdad.

Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the challenges of the healthcare system in Iraq, which has limited intensive care unit beds, medical personnel, and equipment, contributing to high infection rates and mortality. The main purpose of the study was to describe the clinical characteristics, the length of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay, and the mortality outcomes of COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU during the first wave and two subsequent surges, spanning from September 2020 to October 2021, in addition to identify potential risk factors for ICU mortality.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from COVID-19 patients admitted to the COVID-19 ICU at Al-Kindi Ministry of Health hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, between September 2020 and October 2021.

A review of the role of non-invasive ventilation in critical care responses to COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries: lessons learnt from Baghdad.

In 2021, the burden of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic became especially severe in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). With high numbers of patients requiring advanced respiratory support and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), many ICUs were overwhelmed. This problem is particularly pronounced in LMICs, where the availability of intensive care beds may be limited.