Table 3.

Documented demographic, clinical, and laboratory or pathology findings in 136 patients without or with (all, multifocal, or localized) HPE.

	No HPE (n=118)	All HPE (n=18)	Multifocal HPE (n=6)	Local HPE (n=12)	P value^d
	No HPE (n=118)	All HPE (n=18)	Multifocal HPE (n=6)	Local HPE (n=12)	All HPE	Multifocal HPE	Local HPE
Demographic Data
Age (years, mean)	56 ± 14	54 ± 17	62	50	0.66
Sex (% male)	53	78	83	75	0.07
Hospital days (mean, current admission)	26	46	56	42	0.008^*	0.05	0.09
ICU days (mean, current admission)	13	25	39	19	0.01^*	0.02^*	0.40
Total admissions (mean, prior year)	2	2	2	2	0.99
Vascular procedures (mean)
Total vascular interventions	4 ±3.5	7 ± 5.5	8	6	0.01^*	0.02^*	0.08
Left heart/arterial interventions	2 ± 1.3	2 ± 1.8	2	2	0.16	0.17	0.40
Right heart/venous interventions	3 ± 2.6	5 ± 3.6	6	4	0.008^*	0.02^*	0.07
Central catheters	2 ± 1.7	3 ±1.7	3	3	0.03^*	0.07	0.14
Other right heart and venous	2 ± 1.0	2 ± 1.9	3	2	0.05	0.06	0.02^*
Autopsy tissue blocks examined (mean)
Total blocks	34 ±14	41 ± 10	40	42	0.06
Lung blocks	6 ± 3	7 ± 3	7	7	0.16
Heart blocks	6 ± 5	7 ± 3	8	6	0.88
Central nervous system blocks	10 ± 8	10 ± 7	9	11	0.74
Clinical Sign or Symptom Prior to Death^a
Constitutional symptoms^b	46 (39%)	14 (78%)	6 (100%)	8 (67%)	0.002^*	0.003^*
Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS)	20 (17%)	14 (78%)	5 (83%)	9 (75%)	<0.001^*	<0.0001^*	<0.0001^*
SIRS/sepsis	38 (32%)	10 (56%)	5 (83%)	5 (42%)	0.054	0.01^*
Suspected pulmonary embolism	14 (12%)	8 (44%)	3 (50%)	5 (42%)	0.006^*	0.008^*	0.005^*
Thrombo/embolic stroke	19 (16%)	3 (17%)	2 (33%)	1 (8%)	0.95
Suspected vasculitis	1 (1%)	2 (11%)	2 (33%)	0 (0%)	0.006^*	<0.0001^*
Lymphadenopathy	20 (17%)	2 (11%)	2 (33%)	0 (0%)	0.53
Acute cardiac arrhythmia/PEA	24 (20%)	2 (11%)	0 (0%)	2 (17%)	0.35
Laboratory or Pathology Finding^a§§
Leukocytosis	94 (80%)	18 (100%)	6 (100%)	12 (100%)	0.035^*
↑ D-dimer ↑ fibrin split products ↓ fibrinogen	20 (17%)	6 (33%)	4 (67%)	2 (17%)	0.10	0.002^*
Acute pulmonary infarct(s)	5 (4%)	5 (28%)	3 (50%)	2 (17%)	<0.001^*	<0.0001^*
Acute focal cerebral infarct(s)	8 (7%)	4 (22%)	3 (50%)	1 (8%)	0.03^*	0.0002
↑ Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)	2 (2%)	2 (11%)	2 (33%)	0 (0%)	0.03^*	0.0001^*
↑ C-reactive protein (CRP)	2 (2%)	3 (17%)	2 (33%)	1 (8%)	0.002^*	0.0001^*
↑ p-ANCA	1 (1%)	1 (6%)	1 (17%)	0 (0%)	0.12	0.003^*
↑ c-ANCA	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	N/A

Plus-minus values are means ± SD; Abbreviations: DIC, disseminated intravascular coagulation; HPE, hydrophilic polymer emboli; ICU, intensive care unit; PEA, pulseless electrical activity; SIRS, Systemic inflammatory response syndrome

Indicates number of patients, and percent

Defined by fevers, chills, malaise, and sweats or weight loss

^c Indicates patients with documented abnormality (not all patients were tested)

P values are based upon comparison of patients with no HPE

Indicates P<0.05