Table I.
Clinical characteristics of the study population by group
| VAP group (n=40) | Control group (n=40) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | |||
| Age | 68 (58–78) | 70 (58–76) | 0.718 |
| Sex | >0.999 | ||
| Male | 29 (73) | 29 (73) | |
| Female | 11 (27) | 11 (27) | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.0 (20.3–24.5) | 22.6 (19.2–25.4) | 0.898 |
| Diagnosis | >0.999 | ||
| Arrhythmia | 13 | 13 | |
| Acute myocardial infarction | 4 | 4 | |
| Dissecting aortic aneurysm | 3 | 3 | |
| Angina pectoris | 3 | 3 | |
| Respiratory failure | 2 | 2 | |
| Head injury | 2 | 2 | |
| Sepsis | 2 | 2 | |
| Valvular disease of the heart | 2 | 2 | |
| Trauma | 2 | 2 | |
| Subarachnoid haemorrhage | 1 | 1 | |
| Electrolyte disturbance | 1 | 1 | |
| Epilepsy | 1 | 1 | |
| Intestinal obstruction | 1 | 1 | |
| Oesophageal cancer | 1 | 1 | |
| Heart failure | 1 | 1 | |
| Aortic aneurysm | 1 | 1 | |
| Ambulance transport | 35 (87) | 30 (75) | 0.152 |
| SOFA score | 9 (7–11) | 9 (7–11) | >0.999 |
| Outcomes | |||
| Length of ICU stay (days) | 13 (8–14) | 5 (3–7) | <0.001 |
| Length of hospital stay (days) | 50 (29–68) | 17 (11–23) | <0.001 |
| Ventilator-free days (days) | 7 (0–18) | 23 (0–25) | 0.005 |
| Tracheostomy | 19 (47) | 2 (5) | <0.001 |
| Clostridioides difficile infection | 3 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.120 |
| In-hospital mortality | 8 (20) | 13 (32) | 0.204 |
| Discharge route | |||
| Transfer to another hospital | 21 (52) | 10 (25) | |
| Home | 11 (27) | 17 (42) | 0.028 |
| Days of antimicrobial therapy | |||
| Before ICU admission | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–0) | 0.296 |
| Anti-Pseudomonas | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–0) | 0.317 |
| Anti-MRSA | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–0) | >0.999 |
| Antifungal drugs | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–0) | >0.999 |
| Other | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–0) | 0.079 |
| While in the ICU | 12.5 (7–16) | 4 (2.2–6) | <0.001 |
| Anti-Pseudomonas | 3 (0.5–8.0) | 0 (0–0.5) | <0.001 |
| Anti-MRSA | 0.5 (0–2.5) | 0 (0–0) | <0.001 |
| Antifungal drugs | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–0) | 0.296 |
| Other | 5 (3–9) | 3 (1–5) | 0.005 |
| After ICU discharge | 15 (4.5–29.5) | 1 (0–5) | <0.001 |
| Anti-Pseudomonas | 6 (0–14.5) | 0 (0–0) | <0.001 |
| Anti-MRSA | 0 (0–2.5) | 0 (0–0) | <0.001 |
| Antifungal drugs | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–0) | 0.042 |
| Other | 1 (0–9) | 0 (0–3) | 0.031 |
Values are presented as median (IQR), n, or n (%).
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; IQR, interquartile range; SOFA, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment; ICU, intensive care unit; MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; VAP, ventilator-associated pneumonia.