Table 1.
Baseline characteristics, clinical variables and variables of intensive care therapy
| Variable | Value |
| Number of patients | 390 |
| Age (years) | 65.3 ± 13.5 (67.0; 58.0–75.0) |
| Sex (% male) | 71.5 |
| Emergency admission (%) | 60.4 |
| Readmission (%) | 12.3 |
| Immediate postoperative admission (%) | 66.2 |
| Surgical speciality (%) | |
| Abdominal surgery | 48.8 |
| Thoracic surgery | 17.7 |
| Vascular surgery | 20.8 |
| Orthopaedic surgery | 9.8 |
| Combined surgery (%) | 1.5 |
| Benign disease (%) | 66.3 |
| Curative surgery for malignant disease (%) | 21.9 |
| Palliative surgery for malignant disease (%) | 11.8 |
| APACHE II score on admission day | 18.4 ± 6.9 (18.0; 13.0–23.3) |
| Pneumonia (%) | 68.1 |
| Peritonitis (%) | 30.8 |
| Severe sepsis (%) | 61.1 |
| Need for mechanical ventilation (%) | 99.0 |
| Duration of mechanical ventilation (days) | 44.8 ± 44.7 (31.0; 17.0–57.3) |
| Need for catecholamine therapy (%) | 92.3 |
| Duration of catecholamine therapy (days) | 28.3 ± 30.4 (18.0; 6.0–32.0) |
| Need for renal replacement therapy (%) | 35.1 |
| Duration of continuous renal replacement therapy (days) | 9.8 ± 23.9 (0.0; 0.0–7.8) |
| Need for red cell transfusion (%) | 97.2 |
| Number of transfused red blood cell units | 21.8 ± 26.0 (14.0; 6.0–28.0) |
| Number of surgical revisions | 2.1 ± 3.0 (1.0; 0.0–3.0) |
| Maximum APACHE II score during ICU stay | 29.4 ± 6.9 (30; 25.0–34.0) |
| Maximum number of failing organs | 4.4 ± 1.4 (5; 3–6) |
Continuous data are presented as mean ± standard deviation (median; 25% to 75% quartile). APACHE, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; ICU, intensive care unit.