Table 1.
Main demographic data and clinical characteristics of patients discharged from hospital
| Factor | No ICU-acquired infection (n = 217) | ICU-acquired infection (n = 55) | P |
| Male sex | 133 (61.3) | 40 (72.7) | 0.12 |
| Age years | 57 (46–68) | 57 (45.5–67.5) | 0.63 |
| Main reason for admission | |||
| Surgical, nontrauma | 73 (34.0) | 25 (45.5) | 0.12 |
| Trauma | 18 (8.4) | 16 (29.1) | < 0.001 |
| Medical | 96 (44.7) | 8 (14.5) | < 0.001 |
| Neurological | 21 (9.8) | 4 (7.3) | 0.8 |
| Chronic underlying disease | 148 (68.2) | 33 (60.0) | 0.27 |
| Current smoker | 82 (42.7) | 20 (40.8) | 0.87 |
| Alcohol abuse | 42 (19.4) | 11 (20.8) | 0.85 |
| APACHE II score on admission | 22 (18–28) | 20 (17–27) | 0.44 |
| SOFA score on admission | 6.0 (4.0–8.0) | 9.0 (6.0–10.0) | < 0.001 |
| SOFA score on ICU discharge | 3.0 (2.0–5.0) | 3.0 (2.0–4.0) | 0.26 |
| Infection on admission | 171 (78.8) | 29 (52.7) | < 0.001 |
| Community-acquired pneumonia on admission | 59 (27.2) | 5 (9.1) | 0.004 |
| Hospital-acquired pneumonia on admission | 32 (14.7) | 7 (12.7) | 0.83 |
| Sepsis on admission | 30 (13.8) | 3 (5.5) | 0.11 |
| Severe sepsis on admission | 17 (7.8) | 0 (0) | 0.03 |
| Septic shock on admission | 37 (17.1) | 16 (29.1) | 0.06 |
| LOS in ICU (days) | 3.75 (2.7–5.8) | 10 (6.2–15.8) | < 0.001 |
| LOS in hospital, days | 17 (10–26) | 25 (17.5–37) | 0.62 |
Values are expressed as median (25th to 75th percentile) or number (%) of patients. Chronic underlying diseases included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischaemic heart disease, chronic hepatic disease, chronic renal disease, previous stroke or transient ischaemic attack, diabetes, malignancy or immunosuppressive medication. APACHE, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; ICU, intensive care unit; LOS, length of stay; SOFA, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment.