Treatment and Care Received by Children Hospitalized with COVID-19 in a Large Hospital Network in the United States, February 2020 to September 2021

This was a retrospective descriptive study among children <18 years hospitalized from February 20, 2020, through September 30, 2021, using inpatient EHR data from HCA Healthcare. Hospitals were in 18 states, with Texas, Florida, Virginia, and Colorado heavily represented. We examined patient demographics on admission and analyzed the frequency of admission by month across the study period. We examined conditions that may increase risk of serious complications from COVID-19, including cancer, chronic lung diseases, chronic cardiovascular disease (e.g., congenital heart disease), liver or renal disorders, immunocompromised state, diabetes, obesity, developmental disorders, and smoking. We also assessed how often patients had SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests performed within the hospital system.