Hypermetabolism in critically ill patients with COVID-19 and the effects of hypothermia: A case series.

Background: We have observed that critically ill patients with COVID-19 are in an extreme hypermetabolic state. This may be a major contributing factor to the extraordinary ventilatory and oxygenation demands seen in these patients. We aimed to quantify the extent of the hypermetabolic state and report the clinical effect of the use of hypothermia to decrease the metabolic demand in these patients.

Hypermetabolism and Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Background: Hypermetabolism has been described in stress states such as trauma, sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and severe burn injuries. We hypothesize that patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may develop a hypermetabolic state, which may be a major contributing factor to the extraordinary ventilatory and oxygenation demands in patients with COVID-19.

Method: Resting energy expenditure (REE), carbon dioxide production (VCO ), and oxygen consumption (VO ) were measured by indirect calorimetry on 7 critically ill patients with COVID-19.