Table 3.
Treatment and prognosis of attacks requiring orotracheal intubation versus attacks not requiring orotracheal intubation
| Hospitalization duration, days | 21 (7–48) | 74 (55–98) | 21 (7–36) | 0.061 |
| Delay from attack first symptoms to hospitalization, days | 11.5 (4–21.2) | 18 (7.5–32.5) | 10.5 (3.8–21) | 0.779 |
| ICU hospitalization: yes | 28 (38.4) | 8 (100) | 20 (27.4) | - |
| If yes: ICU duration, days, median (P25;P75) (N attacks with ICU hospitalization) | 25 (12;40) (28) | 44.5 (40;57) (8) | 17 (7;28) (20) | 0. 094 |
| If yes: SAPS II, median (P25;P75) (N attacks with ICU hospitalization) | 13 (6;18.25) (28) | 19 (17;19) (8) | 13 (6;13) (20) | 0.891 |
| Intubation duration, days | – | 27.00 [17.00, 41.50] | – | – |
| Aspiration pneumonia | – | 3 (37.5) | – | – |
| Ventilator-associated pneumonia | – | 5 (62.5) | – | – |
| Tracheostomy | – | 2 (37.5) | – | – |
| Medical treatment | ||||
| Total dose of corticosteroids (grams) | 7.5 (5;10) | 10 (8;10) | 7 (5;10) | 0.677 |
| Delay from first symptoms to IV corticosteroids, days | 14 (7–32) | 24.5 (13–58.5) | 13 (6–30) | 0.701 |
| TPE (yes or no) | 35 (47.9) | 8 (100) | 27 (41.5) | – |
| Number of TPE | 6 (5–8) | 7.5 (6.3–10) | 6 (5–8) | 0.911 |
| Delay from first symptoms to TPE, days | 21.5 (12.5–44) | 28 (16.5–82) | 20 (9.3–38) | 0.599 |
| Outcomes | ||||
| Death during hospitalization | 1 (1.3) | 1 (12.5) | 0 (0.0) | – |
| EDSS 3 months after attack onset, median (IQR) (NA) | 4.0 (2.5–7.0) (13) | 7.0 (6.0–9.0) (0) | 3.5 (2.5–6.5) (13) | 0. 402 |
| EDSS 6 months after attack onset | 3.5 (2.0–7.0) (14) | 5.5 (2.5–9.0) (0) | 3.5 (2.5–6.5) (14) | 0.574 |
| EDSS 12 months after attack onset (0) | 3.5 (2.0–6.5) (0) | 5.0 (2.0–9.0) (0) | 3.5 (2.0–6.0) (0) | 0.524 |
| EDSS < 4, 12 months after attack | 38 (52.1) | 4 (50.0) | 34 (52.3) | 0.476 |
| Recurrent attack during the following year | 29 (39.7) | 1 (12.5) | 28 (43.1) | 0.624 |
| Patient working 12 months after attack | 22 (33.8) | 2 (28.5) | 20 (34.5) | 0.028 |
| Modified Rankin scale 12 months after the attack | 2 [1, 3] | 2 [1, 3] | 2 [1, 3.5] | 0.549 |
| Unfavorable attack recoverya at 12 months | 17 (24.3) | 2 (25.0) | 15 (24.2) (3) | 0.468 |
Results are expressed in median (interquartile range) or N (%) unless otherwise specified
NA number of observations non available, OTI orotracheal intubation, TPE therapeutic plasma exchange, EDSS expanded disability severity score
aUnfavorable attack recovery = defined as modified Rankin score (mRS) > 2 at 3 months for patients with initial mRS ≤ 2 or an increase of ≥ 1 point in mRS for patients with initial mRS > 2