Table 2.
Characteristics of the study population
| Baseline characteristics (n = 244) | |
|---|---|
| Age (years) | 63 (52–74) |
| Gender, male, n (%) | 156 (64) |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26 (24–28) |
| SAPS 2 score | 45 (34–59) |
| Invasive mechanical ventilation, n (%) | 182 (75) |
| Tidal volume (ml/kg) | 7.0 (6.3–7.7) |
| Positive end-expiratory pressure (cmH2O) | 6 (6–8) |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 99 (85–115) |
| Mean blood pressure (mmHg) | 84 (73–95) |
| Sinus rhythm, n (%) | 194 (80) |
| Vasopressor, n (%) | 134 (55) |
| Dose of vasopressora | |
| Norepinephrine (μg/kg/min) | 1.47 (0.74–3.28) (50b) |
| Epinephrine (μg/kg/min) | 1.65 (0.50–3.19) (26b) |
| Reason for ICU admission, n (%) | |
| Medical | 233 (95.5) |
| Surgical | 11 (4.5) |
| Indication for basic critical care echocardiography, n (%) | |
| Acute circulatory failure | 91 (37) |
| Acute respiratory failure | 80 (33) |
| Combined circulatory and respiratory failure | 20 (8) |
| Cardiac arrest | 48 (20) |
| Difficult weaning from the ventilator | 5 (2) |
SAPS simplified acute physiology score, ICU intensive care unit
aA single patient could receive several catecholamines
bNumbers between brackets indicate percentages