Table 1.
Patient characteristics
| Male sex, no. (%) | 51 (57) |
|---|---|
| Age, mean (± SD) - year | 76 (15) |
| Past medical history, no. (%) | |
| Acute pulmonary edema | 27 (29) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 27 (29) |
| Ischemic heart disease | 21 (23) |
| Home oxygen | 16 (17) |
| Clinical data at admission, median (IQR) | |
| Heart rate - beats/min. | 94 (80-110) |
| Systolic blood pressure - mm Hg | 122 (106-144) |
| Diastolic blood pressure - mm Hg | 69 (60-78) |
| Respiratory rate - breaths/min. | 24 (19-28) |
| Glasgow coma scale | 15 (14-15) |
| Temperature - ∘C | 37.0 (36.2-37.6) |
| Laboratory values, median (IQR) | |
| PaCO 2 - mm Hg | 46.2 (37.6-66.8) |
| PtCO 2 - mm Hg | 47.2 (42.1-60.0) |
| PaO 2 - mm Hg | 73.5 (63.0-89.0) |
| pH | 7.37 (7.30-7.43) |
| HCO 3 - mEq/L | 26.0 (22.8-29.7) |
| Base excess - mmol/L | 1.9 (-1.9-5.8) |
| Lactate - mmol/L | 1.3 (0.7-2.2) |
| Hemoglobin - g/dL | 12.3 (10.9-13.8) |
| White blood cells - G/L | 12.4 (7.9-15.5) |
| C-reactive protein | 41 (8-122) |
| Glycemia - g/L | 1.4 (1.2-1.7) |
| Brain natriuretic peptide - ng/L | 1704 (579-6200) |
| Diagnosis, no. (%) | |
| Heart failure | 25 (27) |
| COPD | 14 (15) |
| Pneumonia | 42 (46) |
| Pulmonary embolism | 5 (5) |
| Outcome, no. (%) | |
| Noninvasive ventilation required | 41 (45) |
| Intubation required | 4 (4) |
| Admitted to hospital | 61 (66) |
| Admitted to ICU | 19 (21) |
| Discharged from ED | 10 (11) |
| Death at the ED | 2 (2) |
| Inpatient mortality | 9 (10) |
COPD: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; ED: Emergency department; ICU: Intensive care unit; IQR: Interquartile range; PaCO 2: Partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the blood; PtCO 2: Transcutaneous partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the blood; PaO 2: Partial pressure of dioxygen in the blood.