2.7 Exclusion criteria
Following patients were excluded from the study:
- Patients with negative detection of novel coronavirus nucleic acid.
- Patients in whom monitoring of blood oxygen saturation
(SpO2 or PaO2) was not feasible due to
any reason.
- Patients with suspected bacterial pneumonia (confirmed by sputum
bacterial culture).
- Patients with interstitial pneumonia (previously diagnosed based on
radiological findings).
- Patients with heart failure associated with pulmonary edema
(non-COVID-19 heart disease).
- Patients with allergic pneumonia (acute or chronic eosinophilic
pneumonia).
- Patients with active lung tumors.
- Patients on immunosuppressive drugs (including long-term steroids).
- Patients with incomplete chest computed tomography (CT) examination
due to any reason.
- Patient refusal to be enrolled in the study.