Table 6.
Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients without Confirmed Infection
| Empiric antibiotics (n = 232) | No empiric antibiotics (n = 873) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General characteristics | |||
| Mean age (years) a | 53.1 ± 1.21 | 56.4 ± 0.62 | <0.05 |
| Percent (n) male | 66.8 (155) | 60.6 (529) | NS |
| Percent (n) intubated | 78.9 (183) | 59.1 (516) | <0.001 |
| Percent (n) with history of renal failure b | 2.6 (6) | 1.9 (17) | NS |
| Percent (n) with renal failure at baseline | 8.6 (20) | 4.7 (41) | <0.05 |
| Percent (n) having trauma surgery | 46.6 (108) | 44.7 (390) | NS |
| Percent (n) having general surgery | 25.45 (59) | 19.0 (166) | <0.05 |
| Percent (n) having cardiothoracic/vascular surgery | 12.1 (28) | 21.8 (190) | <0.05 |
| Infections | |||
| Percent (n) with infection on admission | 2.6 (6) | 7.1 (62) | <0.05 |
| Percent (n) with any infection | 15.1 (35) | 13.9 (121) | NS |
| Mean total infections per patient | 0.2 ± 0.04 | 0.17 ± 0.02 | NS |
| Antibiotic use | |||
| Mean total antibiotic days | 5.6 ± 0.36 | 2.04 ± 0.11 | <0.05 |
| Drug resistance | |||
| Percent (n) with any resistant organism | 9.1 (21) | 5.7 (50) | 0.051 |
| Mean total resistant organisms/patient | 0.7 ± 0.11 | 0.4 ± 0.05 | <0.05 |
| Outcomes | |||
| Mean STICU LOS | 10.7 ± 0.58 | 5.9 ± 0.19 | <0.05 |
| Mean ventilator days | 6.9 ± 0.54 | 2.4 ± 0.13 | <0.05 |
| Percent (n) who developed renal failure | 24.1 (56) | 11.9 (104) | <0.001 |
| Percent (n) dying in STICU | 8.6 (20) | 3.2 (28) | <0.001 |
a
Mean ± standard deviation.
b
Serum creatinine concentration >2.2 mg/dL.
NS = not significant; STICU = surgery and trauma intensive care unit.