TABLE 1.
Patient characteristics upon admission
| Characteristic | Value for patients in indicated areas
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Intensive care units (n = 183) | General wards (n = 228) | |
| Age (mean ± SD) (yrs) | 55.9 ± 15.6 | 57.1 ± 14.0 |
| Men (n [%]) | 120 (65.6) | 135 (59.2) |
| Reason for admission (n [%]) | ||
| Surgery | ||
| Abdominal | 53 (29.0) | 2 (0.9) |
| Neurosurgery | 32 (17.5) | 67 (29.4) |
| Transplantation | 14 (7.7) | |
| Urologic surgery | 46 (20.2) | |
| Other surgery | 20 (10.9) | |
| Trauma | 29 (15.8) | 1 (0.4) |
| Medical | ||
| Abdominal | 20 (8.8) | |
| Neurologic disorder | 13 (7.1) | 1 (0.4) |
| Obstructive pulmonary disease | 5 (2.7) | 54 (23.7) |
| Other medical disorder | 17 (9.3) | 37 (16.2) |
| Residential status 48 h before admission (n [%]) | ||
| Community | 145 (79.2) | 228 (100) |
| General ward at Erasmus MC | 29 (15.8) | |
| General ward at other hospital | 7 (3.8) | |
| Other | 2 (1.1) | |
| SAPS II on admission (mean [SD])a | 33.5 (13.9) | |
| Admissions with comorbidityb (no. [%]) | 54 (29.5) | 84 (36.8) |
| Hospitalization 3 mos prior to admission (n [%]) | 101 (55.2) | 52 (23) |
| Use of antibiotics 3 mos prior to admission (n [%]) | 42 (23) | 57 (25) |
a
Simplified acute physiology score (25).
b
According to the definitions of the Dutch National Intensive Care Evaluation (www.stichting-nice.nl). Comorbidity was defined as at least one of the following disorders: decreased immunity, respiratory insufficiency class IV according to the New York Heart Association (NYHA), cardiovascular insufficiency class IV according to NYHA, cirrhosis, hematologic malignancy, AIDS, neoplasm with metastases, or chronic renal failure.