Abstract: The Journal of Critical Care Medicine 2022;8(3):165-175 RESEARCH ARTICLE DOI: 10.2478/jccm-2022-0015 Characteristics and risk factors for mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19 receiving invasive mechanical ventilation: the experience of a private network in Sao Paulo, Brazil Eduardo Atsushi Osawa*, Alexandre Toledo Maciel Imed Group, Research Department, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Adult Intensive Care Unit, São Camilo Hospital, Brazil Abstract Introduction: The use of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) in COVID-19 represents in an incremental burden to healthcare systems. Aim of the study: We aimed to characterize patients hospitalized for COVID-19 who received IMV and identify risk factors for mortality in this population. Material and Methods: A retrospective cohort study including consecutive adult patients admitted to a private network in Brazil who received IMV from March to October, 2020. A bidirectional stepwise logistic regression analysis was used to determine the risk factors for mortality. Results: We included 215 patients, of which 96 died and 119 were discharged from ICU. The mean age was 62.7 ± 15.4 years and the most important comorbidities were hypertension (62.8%), obesity (50.7%) and diabetes (40%). Non-survivors had lower body mass index (BMI) (28.3 [25.5; 31.6] vs. 31.2 [28.3; 35], p<0.001, and a shorter duration from symptom onset to intubation (8.5 [6.0; 12] days vs. 10 [8.0; 12.5] days, p = 0.005). Multivariable regression analysis showed that the risk factors for mortality were age (OR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.1, p < 0.001), creatinine level at the intubation date (OR: 3.28, 95% CI: 1.47 to 7.33, p = 0.004), BMI (OR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.84 to 0.99, p = 0.033), lowest PF ratio within 48 hours post-intubation (OR: 0.988, 95% CI: 0.979 to 0.997, p = 0.011), barotrauma (OR: 5.18, 95% CI: 1.14 to 23.65, p = 0.034) and duration from symptom onset to intubation (OR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.76 to 0.95, p = 0.006). Conclusion: In our retrospective cohort we identified the main risk factors for mortality in COVID-19 patients receiving IMV: age, creatinine at the day of intubation, BMI, lowest PF ratio 48-hours post-intubation, barotrauma and duration from symptom onset to intubation. Keywords: coronavirus, COVID-19, mortality, mechanical ventilation, body mass index, barotrauma Received: 12 December 2021 / Accepted: 12 June 2022 „Introduction „ The coronavirus disease [COVID-19] was first reported in Wuhan, China and spread rapidly across the globe causing millions of deaths worldwide. Patients hospitalized for COVID-19 are at high risk of developing acute respiratory failure and receiving invasive mechanical ventilation [IMV]. In an effort to understand a novel disease and gain knowledge from other centres, multiple epidemiological cohorts have been carried out in different settings. Nevertheless, a striking variability in the mortality rates were reported among those requiring mechanical ventilation [1, 2]. The understanding of which factors are associated with greater mortality in COVID-19 patients receiv* ing mechanical ventilation would enable clinicians to perform better treatment decisions to mitigate the progression of a severe illness. Previously, studies assessing COVID-19 mortality did not incorporate variables specific to intensive care or were restricted to a nongeneralizable population [3, 4]. Moreover, the majority of studies aiming to evaluate mortality in COVID-19 patients addressed this issue in a larger..