Table 1.
Baseline Demographic and Clinical Characteristics, According to Study Group.*
| Variable | Control Group (N = 260) |
Experimental Group (N = 258) |
|---|---|---|
| Age — yr | 52.2±1.0 | 52.2±1.0 |
| Male sex — no. (%) | 145 (55.8) | 144 (55.8) |
| Race or ethnic group — no. (%)† | ||
| White | 208 (80.0) | 196 (76.0) |
| Black | 43 (16.5) | 51 (19.8) |
| Asian | 5 (1.9) | 6 (2.3) |
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 2 (0.8) | 1 (0.4) |
| Hispanic — no. (%) | 20 (7.7) | 15 (5.8) |
| Other | 2 (0.8) | 4 (1.6) |
| Characteristics of index infection | ||
| APACHE II score‡ | 9.9±0.4 | 10.3±0.4 |
| Maximum white-cell count — per mm3 | 15,600±0.4 | 17,100±0.7 |
| Maximum body temperature — °C | 37.8±0.1 | 37.7±0.1 |
| Organ of origin — no. (%) | ||
| Colon or rectum | 80 (30.8) | 97 (37.6) |
| Appendix | 34 (13.1) | 39 (15.1) |
| Small bowel | 31 (11.9) | 42 (16.3) |
| Source-control procedure — no. (%) | ||
| Percutaneous drainage | 86 (33.1) | 86 (33.3) |
| Resection and anastomosis or closure | 69 (26.5) | 64 (24.8) |
| Surgical drainage only | 55 (21.2) | 54 (20.9) |
| Resection and proximal diversion | 27 (10.4) | 37 (14.3) |
| Simple closure | 20 (7.7) | 12 (4.7) |
| Surgical drainage and diversion | 3 (1.2) | 4 (1.6) |
*
Plus–minus values are means ±SE. There were no significant differences between the groups (P<0.05).
†
Race and ethnic groups were reported by the patient or surrogate.
‡
Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores range from 0 to 71, with higher scores indicating an increased risk of death.