Anxiety and depression in the first 24 h in COVID-19 patients who underwent non-invasive mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit.

Background And Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the degree of anxiety and depression in the first 24 h of people who were taken to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to COVID-19 and had to use unfamiliar devices in an unfamiliar environment.

Material Method: Sixty-two patients over 18 years of age, conscious and cooperative, who were admitted to the ICU with the diagnosis of COVID, were PCR (+), and needed non-invasive mechanical ventilation were included in the study. Age, gender, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores, and Hospital Anxiety Depression (HAD) A (anxiety), and HAD D (depression) scores of the patients were recorded, and the prevalence of anxiety and depression and independent factors affecting them were investigated.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 57.1 ± 17.6 years, and the mean APACHE II was 29.3 ± 10.4. The average HAD A score was 10.5 ± 3.5 in all patients, while the HAD D score was 10.5 ± 3.3. The prevalence of anxiety was 37.1% (23 patients), and the prevalence of depression was 43.6% (27 patients). Age and APACHE II and anxiety/depression were negatively correlated, and when age and APACHE II scores increased, anxiety and depression decreased (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: In COVID-19 patients who underwent non-invasive mechanical ventilation in the ICU, the rate of anxiety in the first 24 h of admission was 37.1% while for depression the rate was 43.6%. In addition, advanced age and high APACHE II scores were found to be associated with low anxiety and depression.

Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials ID: NCT04715477 (January 20, 2021).