A University of Washington study provides some of the first details of 21 critically ill patients with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States, most of whom were linked to exposures at a nursing home at the center of the country’s COVID-19 outbreak early on in the global crisis.

The study shows high rates of mortality overall and poor health outcomes among patients requiring ventilation, as well as surprising rates of heart issues related to the virus. The research provides new insights for health care providers treating older adults and those with existing health conditions.

This case series, published March 19 in JAMA, includes patients, ages 43 to 92 years, who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at EvergreenHealth Medical Center between Feb. 20 and March 5. About 86% of patients had co-existing diseases or health conditions, with chronic kidney disease and congestive heart failure being the most common.

Read the entire story at UW School of Public Health. Matt Arentz, a DGH doctoral student, led the study and is quoted in the story.