The burden of incidental SARS-CoV-2 infections in hospitalized patients across pandemic waves in Canada

Abstract

Many health authorities differentiate hospitalizations in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 as being “for COVID-19” (due to direct manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection) versus being an “incidental” finding in someone admitted for an unrelated condition. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all SARS-CoV-2 infected patients hospitalized via 47 Canadian emergency departments, March 2020-July 2022 to determine whether hospitalizations with “incidental” SARS-CoV-2 infection are less of a burden to patients and the healthcare system. Using a priori standardized definitions applied to hospital discharge diagnoses in 14,290 patients, we characterized COVID-19 as (i) the “Direct” cause for the hospitalization (70%), (ii) a potential “Contributing” factor for the hospitalization (4%), or (iii) an “Incidental” finding that did not influence the need for admission (26%). The proportion of incidental SARS-CoV-2 infections rose from 10% in Wave 1 to 41% during the Omicron wave. Patients with COVID-19 as the direct cause of hospitalization exhibited significantly longer LOS (mean 13.8 versus 12.1 days), were more likely to require critical care (22% versus 11%), receive COVID-19-specific therapies (55% versus 19%), and die (17% versus 9%) compared to patients with Incidental SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, patients hospitalized with incidental SARS-CoV-2 infection still exhibited substantial morbidity/mortality and hospital resource use.