Table 1.
Comparison of Demographic Features and Clinical Characteristics Between WLST and CLST Group
| Variable | Total (N = 1,187), No. (%) a | WLST Group (N = 905), No. (%) a | CLST group (N = 282), No. (%) a | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y ±SD) | 68.6 ± 13.5 | 69.1 ± 13.2 | 67.1 ± 14.6 | .045 |
| Sex, female | 398 (33.5) | 311 (34.4) | 87 (30.9) | .308 |
| LOS, median days ( ± SD) | 20.5 ± 23.8 | 20.9 ± 24.3 | 19.1 ± 22.1 | .272 |
| Infectious episode | 294 (24.8) | 224 (24.8) | 70 (24.8) | 1.000 |
| Respiratory | 210 (17.7) | 165 (18.2) | 45 (16.0) | .433 |
| Urinary | 16 (1.4) | 9 (1.0) | 7 (2.5) | .110 |
| Skin and soft tissue | 13 (1.1) | 7 (0.8) | 6 (2.1) | .114 |
| Others | 61 (5.1) | |||
| Comorbidity | ||||
| Solid tumor | 649 (54.7) | 551 (60.9) | 98 (34.8) | <.001 |
| Hematologic malignancy | 80 (6.7) | 52 (5.7) | 28 (9.9) | .021 |
| Neurologic disease | 167 (14.1) | 113 (12.5) | 54 (19.1) | .007 |
| Spinal injury | 7 (0.6) | 6 (0.7) | 1 (0.4) | .885 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 227 (19.1) | 168 (18.6) | 59 (20.9) | .428 |
| Chronic lung disease | 74 (6.2) | 58 (6.4) | 16 (5.7) | .761 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 111 (9.4) | 75 (8.3) | 36 (12.8) | .032 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 46 (3.9) | 26 (2.9) | 20 (7.1) | .002 |
| End-stage renal disease | 25 (2.1) | 9 (1.0) | 16 (5.7) | <.001 |
| Chronic liver disease | 53 (4.5) | 37 (4.1) | 16 (5.7) | .337 |
Note. WLST, withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment; CLST, continuing life-sustaining treatment.
a
Units unless otherwise specified.