Correlation of Perfusion Indices with Disease Severity in COVID-19 Patients

Year 2025, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 71 - 76, 01.09.2025

Eren Yalçın Emine Emektar , Yunsur Çevik

Abstract

Background: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the correlation of perfusion indexes with disease severity in COVID-19 patients.
Methods: Our study was conducted as a prospective observational study after obtaining ethical committee approval. Patients over the age of 18, who presented with COVID-19 symptoms, were PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) positive, were included in the study. Demographic data, complaints, vital signs and laboratory values of the patients were recorded. The perfusion index (PI) and plethysmographic variability index (PVI) were measured
Results: A total of 154 patients were included in the study. 47.4% of the patients included in the study were male, and the median age of 57 (IQR 44-69.2). 33.1% of the patients were in the mild group, and 66.9% in the moderate-severe group. The median PI value was 4.2 (IQR 3.1-5.6) and the median PVI value was 14.2 (IQR 11.5-16.5) in the mild-moderate patient group, the median PI value was 1.54 (IQR 1.14-1.97), the median PVI value was 23.4 (IQR 11.5-16.5) in the moderate-severe patient group. IQR 19.8-26.1) (p<0.05 for all parameters). The area under the curve AUC for PVI was 0.928 (95% CI; 0.887-0.969 p<0.001). When the best cut-off value of the PVI was taken as 16.3 to distinguish patients from the moderate-severe group, the sensitivity and specificity were calculated as 95% and 71% for this value. The AUC for PI was 0.895 (%95 CI; 0.844-0.946, p<0.001). When the best cut-off value of the perfusion indices was taken as 1.76 to distinguish patients with mild to moderate severity, the sensitivity was calculated as 94% and the specificity as 70.9%.
Conclusion: We found that PVI levels were associated with mean arterial pressure, shock index, lactate and base deficit levels, especially saturation. We think that the cut-off value of high PVI and low PI levels in differentiating severe disease, with its high sensitivity and specificity, may be clinically useful in predicting patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

Keywords

COVID-19 , perfusion indices , PI , PVI

Ethical Statement

This is a prospective, observational study approved by the Local Ethics Committee (2012-KAEK-15/2412).

Supporting Institution

None

Thanks

None

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