Table 3 Patient characteristics by intensivist staffing role.
| Variable | Low intensity (n = 193) | High intensity (n = 668) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD) | 61 (16) | 58 (18) | 0.01 |
| Gender (% female) | 74 (38) | 273 (41) | 0.53 |
| Primary diagnosis,* n (%) | |||
| Trauma/burn | 25 (13) | 90 (14) | 0.001 |
| Respiratory failure/ALI | 12 (6) | 86 (13) | |
| CVA/ICH | 30 (16) | 47 (7) | |
| Surgical/vascular | 11 (6) | 50 (8) | |
| Malignancy | 13 (7) | 44 (7) | |
| Sepsis | 5 (3) | 51 (8) | |
| Gastrointestinal/liver disease | 14 (7) | 41 (6) | |
| Neurosurgical | 17 (9) | 35 (5) | |
| Congestive heart failure | 14 (7) | 36 (5) | |
| Pneumonia | 9 (5) | 40 (6) | |
| Acute coronary syndrome | 14 (7) | 26 (4) | |
| COPD/asthma | 2 (1) | 16 (12) | |
| Other infection | 7 (4) | 20 (3) | |
| Other neurologic | 2 (1) | 18 (3) | |
| Other general | 18 (9) | 68 (10) | |
| Hospital admission source, n (%) | |||
| Emergency department | 110 (57) | 409 (61) | 0.53 |
| Routine direct | 32 (17) | 92 (14) | |
| Transfer from outside <~!?show=[sr]?>centre | 48 (25) | 161 (24) | |
| Other | 3 (2) | 6 (1) | |
| Comorbidities, n (%) | |||
| COPD | 34 (18) | 174 (26) | 0.02 |
| Diabetes | 59 (31) | 194 (29) | 0.68 |
| Tobacco | 50 (26) | 221 (33) | 0.06 |
ALI, acute lung injury; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CVA, cerebrovascular accident; ICH, intracranial haemorrhage.
*From principal International Classification of Disease (ninth revision) diagnosis code during current admission.