Demographic and clinical characteristics of sepsis and ICU participants
| Characteristics | Sepsis (n=25) | ICU (n=19) | Sepsis versus ICU |
|---|---|---|---|
| p Value | |||
| Age | 55.64±1.995 | 52.15±4.512 | 0.487 |
| Estimated premorbid verbal ability | 114.16±3.155 | 112.21±3.133 | 0.663 |
| APACHE II at admission | 19.55±1.309 | 15.20±0.895 | 0.000 |
| SOFA score at admission | 7.91±0.76 | 4.20±0.65 | 0.001 |
| ICU length of stay (days) | 9.43±3.41 | 18.31±4.14 | 0.108 |
| Duration of ventilation (days) | 6.57±3.28 | 13.75±3.52 | 0.002 |
| Electrolyte levels | |||
| Natrium mmol/l (max.) | 138.76±1.146 | 140.50±.9531 | 0.252 |
| Kalium mmol/l (max.) | 4.24±0.119 | 4.02±0.1829 | 0.312 |
| Blood chemistry | |||
| Oxygenation Pa02/FiO2 (max.) | 301.18±40.326 | 384.33±35.873 | 0.370 |
| Creatinine mg7dl (max.) | 1.32±17586.000 | 1.43±0.549 | 0.850 |
| Haematocrit (max.) | 30.55±1.048 | 34.00±1.369 | 0.055 |
| Mean arterial pressure <70 mm Hg | 21 (84%) | 15 (78.9%) | 0.126 |
| ARDS N (%) | 3 (12%) | 0 (0%) | 0.118 |
| Surgery | |||
| Emergency surgery | 15 (60%) | 9 (40%) | 0.967 |
| Elective surgery | 10 (40%) | 10 (53) | 0.051 |
| Primary aetiology for ICU admission N (%) | |||
| Sepsis | 2 (8%) | 1 (5%) | 0.721 |
| Pneumonia/respiratory failure | 4 (16%) | 1 (5%) | 0.266 |
| Liver failure | 0 (0%) | 1 (5%) | 0.246 |
| Trauma (non-head) | 1 (4%) | 6 (32%) | 0.013 |
| Cardiac disease | 4 (16%) | 6 (32%) | 0.222 |
| Other | 14 (56%) | 4 (21%) | 0.020 |
| Comorbid medical disorders N (%) | |||
| Cardiac | 3 (12%) | 6 (32%) | 0.111 |
| Pulmonary | 5 (20%) | 0 (0%) | 0.038 |
| Liver disease | 1 (4%) | 0 (0%) | 0.378 |
| Diabetes | 1 (4%) | 0 (0%) | 0.378 |
| Immunosuppressed | 1 (4%) | 0 (0%) | 0.378 |
| Cancer | 0 (0%) | 1 (5%) | 0.246 |
| Renal disease | 1 (4%) | 2 (11%) | 0.097 |
| Cerebral microangiopathy* | 0 (0%) | 2 (11%) | 0.366 |
| Gastro-intestinal disease | 11 (44%) | 2 (11%) | 0.097 |
| Other | 3 (12%) | 6 (32%) | 0.016 |
| Multiple comorbid disorders N (%) | 11 (44%) | 3 (16%) | 0.047 |
| Drugs | |||
| Sedatives† | 19 (76%) | 16 (84%) | 0.504 |
| Analgesics‡ | 25 (100%) | 19 (100%) | – |
| Vasopressor | 20 (80%) | 15 (80%) | 0.932 |
| Other drug | 25 (100%) | 19 (100%) | – |
Comparison of metric data by means of exact two-tailed unpaired student t test, equal variances not assumed; Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons (α=0.01). Frequency differences were tested using χ2 test according to Pearson, exact two-sided significance. Bold type indicates statistically significant differences.
*Microangiopathy (cerebral small vessel disease), diagnosed prior to ICU admission.
†Sedatives administered at the ICU included dormicum (14 septic, 6 non-septic) and propofol (18 septic, 11 non-septic). To some extent, patients received both dormicum and propofol at the same time (18.5% septic, 50% non-septic), so these frequencies are not mutually exclusive.
‡Analgesics administered included sufenta (18 septic, 15 non-septic), dipidolor (11 septic, 11 non-septic), tramal (2 septic, 1 non-septic), and novalgin (12 septic, 6 non-septic). Since 67% of septic and 35% of non-septic patients received two or more analgesics, these frequencies are not mutually exclusive.
APACHE, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; ARDS, acute respiratory distress syndrome; ICU, intensive care unit; SOFA, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment.