Table 1.
Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Subjects by Final Infection Presence
| Variable | Confirmed Infection (n = 7568) |
False-Positive Presumptive Infection Diagnosis (n = 699) |
P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y | 61.6 (±18.4) | 61.1 (±18.7) | .50 |
| Female sex | 3860 (51.0%) | 348 (49.8%) | .54 |
| Race | .52 | ||
| Hispanic/Latino | 676 (8.9) | 67 (9.6) | |
| Non-Hispanic/Latino, White | 6357 (84.0) | 576 (82.4) | |
| Non-Hispanic/Latino, other race | 535 (7.1) | 56 (8.0) | |
| Arrival to ED from long-term care facility | 515 (6.8) | 46 (6.6) | .82 |
| Arrival to ED by EMS | 2320 (30.7) | 264 (37.8) | <.001 |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index | 3 (1–7) | 4 (2–7) | .001 |
| SOFA score | 4.8 (±2.8) | 4.8 (±2.5) | .86 |
| Initial vital signs and laboratory values | |||
| Heart rate, beats/minute | 105 (±22.4) | 102 (±24.2) | .001 |
| White blood cell count, 1000/µL | 13.6 (±14.7) | 12.0 (±6.7) | <.001 |
| Temperature | <.001 | ||
| <36˚C | 620 (8.2) | 122 (17.5) | |
| 36–38˚C | 3825 (50.5) | 413 (59.1) | |
| >38˚C | 3123 (41.3) | 164 (23.5) | |
| Glasgow Coma Scale ≤14 | 571 (7.5) | 84 (12.0) | <.001 |
| Hypotension in the ED | 2350 (31.1) | 219 (31.3) | .88 |
| Lactate checked and >2 mg/dL | 3005 (39.7) | 293 (41.9) | .25 |
| ED occupancy rate | 0.66 (±0.29) | 0.67 (±0.28) | .36 |
| ED-diagnosed source of infection | <.001 | ||
| Pulmonary | 3088 (40.8) | 236 (33.8) | |
| Urinary | 1437 (19.0) | 71 (10.2) | |
| Intra-abdominal/gastrointestinal | 588 (7.8) | 55 (7.9) | |
| Skin and soft tissue | 907 (12.0) | 34 (4.9) | |
| Other | 985 (13.0) | 72 (10.3) | |
| Unknown | 563 (7.4) | 231 (33.1) | |
| Days of IV antibiotics to hospital day 7 | 3 (2–5) | 1 (1–3) | <.001 |
| Unique antibiotics administered in ED | 1.7 (±0.7) | 1.6 (±0.6) | .005 |
| Initial antibiotic regimen total spectrum score | 5.4 (±2.6) | 5.4 (±2.6) | .97 |
Data are presented as mean (±SD), median (IQR), or number of patients (%).
Abbreviations: ED, emergency department; EMS, emergency medical services; IQR, interquartile range; IV, intravenous; SD, standard deviation; SOFA, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment.