Table 1.
Characteristics and Clinical Data of All Included Patients
| OPI (n = 63) | Non-OPI (n = 14) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 45 (71%) | 12 (86%) | .334 |
| Age, y | 68 (±17, 73) | 68 (±15, 71) | .787 |
| Length of stay, d | 19 (±10, 17) | 19 (±10, 16) | .969 |
| Readmission within 1 montha | 4 (7%) | 1 (8%) | 1 |
| Duration of symptoms prior to admission (OPI n = 55), d | 18 (±24, 9) | 15 (±12, 11) | .731 |
| Initial symptoms | |||
| Pleuritic pain (OPI, n = 60) | 35 (57%) | 4 (28%) | .099 |
| Dyspnea (OPI, n = 60) | 25 (41%) | 5 (36%) | .952 |
| Dry cough (OPI, n = 60) | 25 (41%) | 3 (21%) | .290 |
| Fever | 12 (20%) | 3 (21%) | 1 |
| Productive cough (OPI, n = 60) | 7 (12%) | 2 (14%) | 1 |
| Symptoms during course of disease (OPI, n = 62) | |||
| Pleuritic pain | 53 (86%) | 7 (50%) | .007 |
| Dyspnea | 45 (73%) | 13 (93%) | .166 |
| Dry cough | 45 (73%) | 10 (71%) | 1 |
| Fever | 38 (61%) | 11 (79%) | .354 |
| Productive cough | 19 (31%) | 4 (29%) | 1 |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Intravenous drug injection | 4 (7%) | 1 (7%) | 1 |
| Alcohol abuse | 1 (2%) | 1 (7%) | .332 |
| Abuse of other drugs | 1 (2%) | 0 | 1 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 15 (24%) | 1 (7%) | .277 |
| Heart failure | 10 (16%) | 2 (14%) | 1 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 8 (13%) | 3 (21%) | .410 |
| Dementia | 3 (5%) | 1 (7%) | .560 |
| Kidney failure | 7 (11%) | 0 | .338 |
| Immune deficiencies | 0 | 0 | |
| Malignancy | 2 (3%) | 2 (14%) | .149 |
| Malignancy involving lungsb | 1 (2%) | 1 (7%) | .333 |
| Immunosuppressive treatment | 2 (3%) | 0 | 1 |
| Other pulmonary diseases | 2 (3%) | 3 (21%) | .039 |
| None of the above comorbidities | 26 (41%) | 4 (29%) | .563 |
| Chest trauma | |||
| Reported blunt chest trauma | 12 (22%) | 0 | .059 |
| Inflammatory markers at admission | |||
| C-reactive protein, mg/L | 221 (±115, 200) | 219 (±112, 200) | .999 |
| Leukocytes, 109/L | 19 (±11, 17) | 22 (±14, 17) | .853 |
| Neutrophil count (OPI, n = 51; non-OPI, n = 12), 109/L | 17 (±11, 15) | 21 (±12, 17) | .381 |
| Treatment | |||
| Days from admission to pleural drainage | 2.7 (±3·2, 2·0) | 3 (±3, 1) | .999 |
| Intercostal tube | 61 (97%) | 14 (100%) | 1 |
| Duration of intercostal tube drainage (OPI, n = 61), d | 10 (±7, 9) | 10 (±6, 9) | .688 |
| Fibrinolysis | 45 (71%) | 4 (29%) | .005 |
| Thoracotomy | 3 (5%) | 0 | 1 |
| Duration of intravenous antibiotics,a d | 19 (±10, 18) | 17 (±9, 14) | .265 |
| Total duration of antibiotic treatment,a d | 36 (±15, 34) | 34 (±12, 31) | .986 |
| Outcome | |||
| In-hospital death | 7 (11%) | 1 (7%) | 1 |
| Death within 1 year from admission | 11 (17%) | 4 (29%) | .455 |
| Days from admission to death | 43 (±53, 18) | 93 (±108, 62) | .513 |
Data are presented as no. (%) of patients for categorical variables and mean (±SD, median) for continuous variables. P values were obtained using chi-square or Fisher’s exact test to compare categorical variables and t test or Mann-Whitney U test (if required) to compare continuous variables.
Abbreviations: OPI, oral-type pleural infection; non-OPI, non–oral-type pleural infection.
aIn-hospital deaths not included in analysis.
bMalignancy not known at hospital admission and patients were therefore not excluded.