Thread by @doctimcook

Not sure altmetric is be-all & end-all but it looks like
the meta-analysis of ICU outcomes from COVID by
@drrichstrong @adk300 has just become @Anaes_Journal no. 1 using that metric
Quite a feat during a pandemic while doing your day jobs
Well done🎩

altmetric.com/details/849725…
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The article is here - obviously free to all
…-publications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/an…

Thanks @Anaes_Journal for publishing it and handling it so expertly and promptly, as usual

2/n

Unlike most papers this year it had a somewhat positive message showing how in-ICU mortality has fallen over the first months of the pandemic
- from around 60% in Jan-March
- to less than to 30% in May

An awful disease but one in which we have been making improvements

3/n

We offered these potential reasons for improvement

(all studies published before #RECOVERY dexamethasone results announced)

4/n

Similar findings in this @ICNARC paper published subsequently and a very good read
It highlights
-the impact of the peak period on both mortality and admission patterns
-the gains we've made over time

atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.116…

5/n

We did not at the time find any differences in outcomes by geographical region
Though at that time the regions that had reported were far more limited than they are now

6/n

Limitation of the analysis included the lack of standardised definitions which precluded analysis
-what is ICU
-patient characteristics
-sickness severity
-interventions

About time we had some standardisation of reporting to enable more useful comparisons between groups

7/n

..and finally to put in context
important to remember most COVID deaths do not occur in ICU
-about 9% of all deaths up til June
-only 1 in 7 of all hospital deaths

…-publications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.11…

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