Early radiological worsening of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia predicts the need for ventilatory support.

Objectives: Identifying early markers of poor prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is mandatory. Our purpose is to analyze by chest radiography if rapid worsening of COVID-19 pneumonia in the initial days has predictive value for ventilatory support (VS) need.

Methods: Ambispective observational ethically approved study in COVID-19 pneumonia inpatients, validated in a second outpatient sample.