Table 3. Diagnostic procedures performed during admission in each audit.
| Audit 1 (n = 3,493) | Audit 2 (n = 4,650) | p value* | |
| Blood gas analysis performed (n) | 3,091 (88.5) | 4,227 (90.9) | <0.001 |
| With oxygen (n) | 621 (17.8) | 1,181 (26.1) | <0.001 |
| pH | 7.39 (0.06) | 7.39 (0.07) | NS |
| PaO2 (mmHg) | 58.9 (15.0) | 60.1 (21.5) | 0.007 |
| PaCO2 (mmHg) | 48.5 (14.7) | 48.5 (15.8) | NS |
| Bicarbonate (mEq/l) | 28.7 (5.1) | 28.6 (5.2) | NS |
| Acidosis (n) | 549 (15.7) | 737 (15.8) | 0.002 |
| Radiography performed (n) | 3,396 (97.2) | 4,627 (99.5) | <0.001 |
| Consolidation (n) | 12 (0.3) | 384 (8.3) | <0.001 |
| Interstitial (n) | 20 (0.6) | 152 (3.3) | <0.001 |
| Neoplasm (n) | 53 (1.5) | 66 (1.4) | NS |
| Pleural effusion (n) | 119 (3.4) | 161 (3.5) | NS |
| Pneumothorax (n) | 2 (0.1) | 6 (0.1) | NS |
Data are expressed as the mean (standard deviation) or absolute (relative) frequencies. NS: not significant. PaO2: partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood. PaCO2: partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood.
*Calculated using the unpaired Student’s t-test or chi-square test.