Investigating the impact of COVID-19 on septicemias, healthcare-associated complications, and mortality in patients with cancers of the lip, oral cavity, and pharynx (CLOP) in the United States.

Abstract

e18041 Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected various patient populations, including those with cancer. We hypothesize that CLOP patients affected with COVID-19 have worse clinical outcomes and higher burden of illness (BOI), as the cancer diagnosis itself is burdensome for this cancer cohorts. This study investigates the impact of COVID-19 on CLOP patients, focusing on hospital length of stay, clinical outcomes-septicemia, healthcare associated complications, emergency room visits (ER), neurological disorders, and mortality. Methods: A multivariable regression model (generalized linear model) was employed to examine the association between COVID-19 infection and hospital outcomes (such as septicemia, healthcare-associated complications (HAC) (e.g., CAUTI, CLABSI, and other infectious diseases), coagulation disorders, neurological conditions, emergency admissions (ER), in-hospital mortality, and BOI—length of stay (LOS) and cost, while accounting for confounding variables—patient and clinical characteristics. Results: Data was gathered from 56,250 patients admitted to the hospital in 2021, of which 1,365 tested positives for COVID-19. In the adjusted analysis, after controlling for confounding variables, COVID-19 was associated with an increased LOS (Coeff:1.78, 95%CI: 1.36-2.31), higher mortality (aOR :3.51, 95%CI: 2.5-4.93); higher septicemia (aOR: 1.71, 95%CI: 1.26-2.32), HAC (aOR: 1.67; 95%CI: 1.24-2.53), neurological disorders (aOR:1.76; 95%CI: 1.22-2.53). ER admission (aOR:1.82, 95%CI: 1.21-2.74). Compared Males, females had a longer LOS (coeff: 1.19, 95%CI: 1.08-1.31), and compared to Whites, Hispanics had higher ER status (aOR:1.43, 95%CI: 1.05-1.94). Compared to central counties with more 1 million population, micro counties had higher ER status (aOR: 1.12; 95% CI: 0.81-1.54). Conclusions: The results indicate that COVID-19 infections elevate the risk of septicemia and mortality in patients with CLOP, alongside other variables that exacerbate the total hospital burden. These findings underscore the necessity for improved medical care for COVID-19-affected CLOP patients and the rectification of disparities affecting minorities. Moreover, these findings emphasize the necessity for increased clinical vigilance and supportive care for CLOP patients impacted by COVID-19.