Objectives: To identify the chest radiography differences at presentation between 2 groups of hospitalized confirmed COVID-19 patients; intubated group compared to the non-intubated group. Methods: Data of confirmed hospitalized COVID-19 patients at the Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman were collected retrospectively from March to April 2020. Radiographic and clinical data were collected from the hospital and radiology information systems and compared between 2 groups based on the status of intubation. Results: 26 patients who were conformed to have COVID-19 by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test were included in the study. 15/26 were non intubated and 11/26 were intubated. 88.5% were male in overall and 100% in the intubated group. Respiratory symptoms were the commonest presentation (85%) followed by fever (76.9%) with no statistical difference between the 2 groups. There was a statistically significant difference in having diabetes mellitus (p=0.020) in which 8/11 and 4/15 were recorded to have diabetes mellitus in intubated and non-intubated groups respectively. Other comorbidities showed no statistically significant difference. The radiographic analysis re-demonstrates the peripheral lower zone distribution but no statistically significant difference among the 2 groups. There were no differences between the intubated and non-intubated chest radiography in laterality involvement, central and peripheral distribution and type of lesions. However, upper zones involvement was more noted in the intubated group with 10/11 (90.9%) compared to 7/15 (46.6%) in non-intubated cases with p=0.036. There were higher numbers of zone involvement in intubated cases compared to non-intubated cases. 9/11 (81.8%) of intubated patients had 10-12 areas of involvements on chest radiographs as compared to 3/15 ( 20%) in the non-intubated group. 50% of the cases were discharged home. 3/11 form the intubated group and 10/15 from the non-intubated group. 5 patients died from the intubated group (5/11) versus (3/15) from the non-intubated group. 5 patients are still hospitalized 3/11 and 2/15. Conclusion: The radiographic findings among intubated and non-intubated hospitalized COVID-19 patients demonstrate differences in the number of zones involved. More upper zone involvement was noted in the intubated group. Male sex and diabetes mellites carry a poorer prognosis and were more associated with the intubated group.

Objectives: To identify the chest radiography differences at presentation between 2 groups of hospitalized confirmed COVID-19 patients; intubated group compared to the non-intubated group. Methods: Data of confirmed hospitalized COVID-19 patients at the Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman were collected r...