Introduction
The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV‑2), which causes the infection called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) according to the World Health Organization, is one of the highly virulent β-coronaviruses that infects humans and causes acute respiratory failure (ARF) due to pneumonia, with high mortality rates1,2. In addition, SARS-CoV‑2 presents a major challenge for healthcare systems across the world. This is mainly because critically ill patients with ARF have to be monitored in an intensive care unit (ICU) mainly under the support of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) 2–4.
The diagnosis of COVID‑19 is based on a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction test5. To date, the treatment of COVID‑19 is undefined, and the therapies are aimed at controlling clinical manifestations and providing ventilator support. Notably, some drugs with therapeutic potential are emerging in the medical field6.
Although many researchers have investigated about SARS-CoV‑2,1–4 it is still important to explore the factors associated with mortality in patients with COVID‑19, including the influence of sociodemographic conditions and the presence of chronic diseases, lifestyle, and treatments. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the prevalence and factors related to mortality in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) due to COVID-19 requiring IMV. These data are important for adopting appropriate behavior in the hospital environment.