Table 2.
Characteristics of transfused and non-transfused patientsa.
| All patients (n = 712) | Transfused patients (n = 71) | Patients not transfused (n = 641) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 60.4 (17.0) | 60.3 (14.8) | 60.4 (17.2) | 0.95 |
| Gender, male | 448 (62.9) | 46 (64.8) | 402 (62.7) | 0.73 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 29.8 (9.8) | 28.1 (10.2) | 30.0 (9.7) | 0.15 |
| APACHE II score | 17 (8) | 19 (7) | 16.7 (7.5) | 0.02 |
| ICU admission source | 0.06 | |||
| Elective surgery | 136 (19.1) | 17 (23.9) | 119 (18.6) | |
| Emergency surgery | 106 (14.9) | 12 (16.9) | 94 (14.7) | |
| Emergency department | 222 (31.2) | 15 (21.1) | 207 (32.3) | |
| Hospital ward | 163 (22.9) | 19 (26.8) | 144 (22.5) | |
| Transfer from another ICU | 38 (5.3) | 7 (9.9) | 31 (4.8) | |
| Transfer from another hospital (not ICU) | 47 (6.6) | 1 (1.4) | 46 (7.2) | |
| Primary ICU non-operative diagnosis | 0.10 | |||
| Cardiovascular | 84 (18.2) | 9 (22.5) | 75 (17.8) | |
| Respiratory | 97 (21.0) | 6 (15.0) | 91 (21.6) | |
| Gastrointestinal | 35 (7.6) | 6 (15.0) | 29 (6.9) | |
| Neurological | 68 (14.8) | 2 (5.0) | 66 (15.7) | |
| Sepsis | 74 (16.1) | 5 (12.5) | 69 (16.4) | |
| Trauma and burns | 45 (9.8) | 3 (7.5) | 42 (10.0) | |
| Metabolic | 26 (5.6) | 5 (12.5) | 21 (5.0) | |
| Haematological | 8 (1.7) | 2 (5.0) | 6 (1.4) | |
| Renal/genitourinary | 11 (2.4) | 0 (0.0) | 11 (2.6) | |
| Gynaecological | 3 (0.7) | 2 (5.0) | 66 (15.7) | |
| Musculoskeletal/skin | 6 (1.3) | 1 (2.5) | 5 (1.2) | |
| Other medical | 4 (0.9) | 1 (2.5) | 3 (0.7) | |
| Post-operative admission | 251 (35.3) | 31 (43.7) | 220 (34.3) | 0.12 |
| Primary ICU operative diagnosis | 0.33 | |||
| Cardiovascular | 55 (21.9) | 8 (25.8) | 47 (21.4) | |
| Respiratory and ENT | 19 (7.6) | 2 (6.5) | 17 (7.7) | |
| Gastrointestinal | 55 (21.9) | 8 (25.8) | 47 (21.4) | |
| Neurological | 31 (12.4) | 0 (0.0) | 31 (14.1) | |
| Trauma and burns | 25 (10.0) | 3 (9.7) | 22 (10.0) | |
| Renal/genitourinary | 9 (3.6) | 1 (3.2) | 8 (3.6) | |
| Gynaecological | 6 (2.4) | 0 (0.0) | 6 (2.7) | |
| Musculoskeletal/skin | 14 (5.6) | 1 (3.2) | 13 (5.9) | |
| Invasive mechanical ventilation | 274 (38.5) | 35 (49.3) | 239 (37.3) | <0.05 |
| Respiratory support | 210 (29.5) | 20 (28.2) | 190 (29.6) | |
| ARDS | 10 (1.4) | 2 (2.8) | 8 (1.3) | 0.29 |
| Injury by blunt or penetrating trauma | 78 (11.0) | 7 (9.9) | 71 (11.1) | 0.76 |
| Defined focus of infection | 247 (34.7) | 29 (40.9) | 218 (34.0) | 0.25 |
| SIRS | 379 (53.2) | 50 (70.4) | 329 (51.3) | <0.01 |
| Vasopressors to maintain MAP | 235 (33.0) | 38 (53.5) | 197 (30.7) | <0.01 |
| Chronic health conditions | ||||
| Cirrhosis and portal hypertension or previous hepatic failure | 23 (3.2) | 5 (7.0) | 18 (2.8) | 0.06 |
| NYHA IV | 22 (3.1) | 4 (5.6) | 18 (2.8) | 0.19 |
| Chronic respiratory disease | 55 (7.7) | 4 (5.6) | 51 (8.0) | 0.49 |
| Immunocompromised | 91 (12.8) | 11 (15.5) | 80 (12.5) | 0.47 |
| Medications | ||||
| Anti-platelet medication prior to ICU admission | 189 (27.5) | 16 (23.9) | 173 (27.9) | 0.49 |
| Anti-platelet medication during ICU admission | 198 (27.9) | 22 (31.0) | 176 (27.5) | 0.53 |
| Anti-coagulation medication prior to ICU admission | 172 (25.3) | 20 (29.9) | 152 (24.8) | 0.36 |
| Anti-coagulation medication during ICU admission | 482 (67.9) | 44 (62.0) | 438 (68.5) | 0.26 |
APACHE, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation; ARDS, acute respiratory distress syndrome; BMI, body mass index; ENT, ear, nose and throat; ICU, intensive care unit; MAP, mean arterial pressure; NYHA, New York Heart Association; SIRS, systemic inflammatory response syndrome.
a
Results are reported in mean (SD) for continuous variables and n (%) for categorical variables.