Abstract: Objective Aiming to clarify the therapeutic value of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),a retrospective analysis was performed to compare the clinical efficacy of the combination of traditional Chinese and western medicine (Combination group) and western medicine alone (Western group).Methods We enrolled 31 severe COVID-19 patients who were admitted to the Chongqing Public Health Medical Center,and the clinical data about epidemiological history,symptoms,signs,laboratory and imaging examinations were collected.The patients were divided into two groups according to the treatment.The patients in Western group were given symptomatic support,oxygen therapy,antiviral and other treatments;The patients in Combination group were given sequential treatment of traditional Chinese medicine based on the treatments of the Western group.The clinical efficacy indicators after admission to the ICU of patients in two groups were compared,including:length of hospital stay,length of ICU stay,costs of hospitalization,time of using high-flow oxygen therapy,time of using non-invasive ventilation,time of nucleic acid converting to negative,critical conversion Rate,and laboratory and imaging indicators.Results ① The length of hospital stay in the Combination group was significantly less than the Western group (P<0.05).② On the 14th day after ICU admission,the patients in the Combination group had higher oxygenation index and prealbumin than those in the Western group.Conclusions The combination therapy of traditional Chinese and western medicine can improve the oxygenation index during hospitalization,and significantly reduce the length of hospitalization in severe ill patients with COVID-19.

Key words: Coronavirus disease 2019, Chinese and Western medicine combination therapy, Clinical efficacy, Retrospective analysis