Patients
In this retrospective study, 1320 patients hospitalized at the Aksaray
University Training and Research Hospital between July 2020 and December
2020 were evaluated. Recommended criteria established by the Scientific
Committee of the Ministry of Health were used in the selection of
definite COVID-19 patients (6). The diagnosis of COVID-19 was made
according to the guidelines of Ministry of Health of Turkey and
confirmed by real time polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR) performed on
respiratory samples of the patient(6). All of the cases included in the
study were patients with moderate and severe symptoms and in need of
hospitalization. Patients who had acute respiratory tract infection in
the last 14 days were hospitalized and followed up in case of severe
infection, fever, cough, dyspnea, tachypnea, hypoxemia, hypotension,
diffuse radiological findings on lung imaging or change in consciousness
(6). Patients who had missing hematological results, transfers to other
medical facilities with uncertain outcomes, and patients under 18 years
of age were excluded from the study.