O Saturation Predicted the ICU Stay of COVID-19 Patients in a Hospital at Altitude: A Low-Cost Tool for Post-Pandemic.

: Patients at high altitudes with COVID-19 may experience a decrease in their partial oxygen saturation (POS) levels. The objective was to assess the association between POS and intensive care unit (ICU) stay in patients at high altitudes with COVID-19. : Clinical records of 69 COVID-19 patients (36% women) admitted to the ICU were analyzed. Median values were considered for intra-group categories ("≤11 days" and ">11 days" in the ICU) and for POS height categories ("<90%" and "≥90%"). Logistic regression and linear regression models adjusted for confounding variables were used. : Patients with >11 days in the ICU had 84% lower odds of having a POS ≥ 90% (OR: 0.16 [CI: 0.02, 0.69], = 0.005) compared to those with ≤11 days in the ICU. An increase in POS by 1% reduced ICU stay by 0.22 days (β: -0.22 [CI: -0.33, -0.11], < 0.001), potentially leading to a reduction of up to 1.44 days. : POS is a crucial factor in estimating ICU stays for COVID-19 patients at high altitudes and serves as an accessible and cost-effective measure. It should be used in infected patients to complement the prognosis of post-pandemic ICU stay.