LAUSR

The world is scrutinizing every cohort and every outcome for patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19), particularly the most critically ill who are receiving mechanical ventilation. The numbers that have been published are all over the place, and some of them—such as very high mortality—are causing panic. Two major issues are at play in these epidemiological studies. The first is when to intubate and assessment of the rates of intubation and mechanical ventilation for hospitalized patients in cohorts from across the world. The second is the reported mortality for patients who receive mechanical ventilation. Presentation and interpretation of the data for both of these issues is not straightforward and never has been. However, there are ways we can improve assessment of these cohort studies.