Table 1. Baseline characteristics.
| Age (years) | 60.9 ± 20.5 |
| Male gender, n (%) | 94 (64.8) |
| APACHE II score | 23.7 (9.0) |
| SOFA score | 6 (4–11) |
| Diagnostic category, n (%) | |
| Respiratory | 35 (24.2) |
| Severe sepsis / septic shock | 24 (16.6) |
| Solid organ transplantation | 24 (16.6) |
| Neurologic | 16 (11.7) |
| Postoperative | 16 (11.7) |
| Cardiovascular | 10 (6.9) |
| Renal and metabolic | 9 (6.3) |
| Others | 11(6.0) |
| Mean arterial blood pressure (mm Hg) | 85 (74–97) |
| Body temperature (°C) | 36.3 (36.0–36.9) |
| Hematocrit (%) | 27.7 (24.6–31.5) |
| Arterial pH | 7.39 (7.33–7.43) |
| Arterial oxygen saturation (%) | 98 (96–100) |
| Room temperature (°C) | 23.5 (22.8–24.4) |
| Room air humidity (%) | 61.4 (57.3–61.7) |
| Total bilirubin (mg/dl) | 0.9 (0.6–2.8) |
| Triglycerides (mg/dl) | 97 (69–137) |
| Therapy | |
| Mechanical ventilation, n° (%) | 90 (62.1) |
| Vasopressors, n (%) | 57 (39.3) |
| Norepinephrine, n (%) | 56 (38.6) |
| Median dose (mcg/kg/min) | 0.15 (0.07–0.42) |
| Acetaminophen, n (%) | 8 (5.5) |
| Ascorbic acid, n (%) | 1 (0.7) |
| Mannitol, n (%) | 2 (1.4) |
Values are mean±SD, median (IQR) or n (%). APACHE II = Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (The score ranges from 0 to 71, with higher scores indicating more severe illness), SOFA score = Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (The score ranges from 0 to 20, with higher scores indicating more severe organ failure).