View Score: An early warning score to detect possible complications among COVID-19 patients

Introduction: Understanding pulmonary function at various phases after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is critical for determining the exact pathophysiological mechanism of COVID-19.Research Question: What is the correlation between spirometry indices and clinical indicators in COVID-19 patients over a 6-week follow-up?Objectives: 1) To assess deterioration or improvement in spirometry parameters including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and ratio FEV1/FVC in COVID-19 patients. 2) To study the correlation between FVC, FEV1, and FEV1/FVC with oxygen saturation and clinical findings. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted for a 6-week period among 25, COVID-19 patients who were either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. Each patient received a home-use-connected spirometer-SpiroPRO (R), a pulse oximeter, and a thermometer from Briota Technologies Pvt Ltd. (BRIOTA). Patients and healthcare professionals were given training for performing spirometry twice a day as well as access to mobile apps was provided. Spirometry indices, patient symptoms, and vital statistics were used to calculate the VIEW (TM) score using machine learning algorithms. Result: The Bland-Altman plots showed that FEV1 reduced slightly up to 21-28 days and comes back to normal around 42 days. VIEW (TM) score increased up to day 21 and then decreased toward day 42. An increase in VIEW (TM) score increases the risk of COVID-19 complications. VIEW (TM) score and FEV1 showed a significant correlation. Conclusion: Home-based spirometry acts as an effective tool for COVID-19 patients to predict lung complications and also promote self-monitoring thereby reducing the burden on the health system.