Table 1.
Characteristics of the 200 patients of the study
| No (%) or mean ± SDa | |
|---|---|
| Characteristics | Total (n = 200) |
| General characteristics | |
| Age | |
| Mean age (years) | 63.9 ± 19.1 |
| ≥ 65 years | 108 (54.0) |
| Sex | |
| Female | 99 (49.5) |
| Male | 101 (50.6) |
| Nursing home resident | 8 (4.0) |
| Background and vaccinations | |
| Comorbidities | |
| At least 1 comorbidity | 102 (51.0) |
| Chronic respiratory disease | 57 (28.5) |
| Congestive heart failure | 16 (8.0) |
| Kidney disease | 13 (6.5) |
| Neoplasia | 18 (9.0) |
| Liver disease | 9 (4.5) |
| History of stroke | 7 (3.5) |
| Vaccination status | |
| Influenza vaccination during the past year | 75 (37.5) |
| Pneumococcal vaccination | 27 (13.5) |
| Community-acquired pneumonia characteristics at inclusion | |
| Previous antibiotic treatment | 68 (34.0) |
| Symptoms duration before visiting ED (days) | 9.6 ± 10.9 |
| Signs and symptoms in the ED | |
| Cough | 153 (76.5) |
| Chest pain | 66 (33.0) |
| Expectoration | 96 (48.0) |
| Dyspnea | 142 (71.0) |
| Chills | 71 (35.5) |
| Headaches | 43 (21.5) |
| Myalgia | 45 (22.5) |
| Crackles | 65 (32.5) |
| Fever | 63 (31.5) |
| Confusion | 3 (1.5) |
| Respiratory rate > 30/min | 24 (12.0) |
| Heart rate > 125/min | 13 (6.5) |
| Systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg | 4 (2.0) |
| Diastolic blood pressure < 60 mmHg | 16 (8.0) |
| Community-acquired pneumonia severity scores | |
| PSI risk class | |
| I | 31 (15.5) |
| II | 61 (30.5) |
| III | 41 (20.5) |
| IV | 54 (27.0) |
| V | 13 (6.5) |
| Biological data | |
| White blood cell (103/mm3) | 11.6 ± 5.0 |
| Urea > 11 mmol/L | 23 (11.5) |
| pH < 7.35 | 2 (1.0) |
| PaO2 < 60 mmHg or Sat02 < 90 % | 25 (12.5) |
| Biomarkers resultsa | |
| CRP (mg/L) | |
| In all patients (n = 200) | 74.5 [21.6 - 150.8] |
| In patients with a CAP classified as | |
| « excluded » (n = 71) | 23.4 [5.0 - 96.2] |
| « possible » (n = 23) | 48.6 [16.0 - 147.1] |
| « probable » (n = 8) | 78.8 [27.7 - 240.9] |
| « definite » (n = 98) | 125.1 [65.0 - 208.7] |
| Procalcitonin (PCT) (μg/L) | |
| In all patients (n = 200) | 0.18 [0.07 - 0.91] |
| In patients with a CAP classified | |
| « excluded » (n = 71) | 0.11 [0.06 - 0.42] |
| « possible » (n = 23) | 0.14 [0.07 - 0.63] |
| « probable » (n = 8) | 0.63 [0.06 - 1.41] |
| « definite » (n = 98) | 0.24 [0.11 - 1.38] |
| Community-acquired pneumonia management | |
| Emergency physician's mean years in practice | 5.8 ± 6.0 |
| 28-day mortality | 6 (3.0) |
Abbreviations: ED emergency department, PSI Pneumonia Severity Index, CRP C-reactive protein, CAP community-acquired pneumonia
aResults are expressed as number (%) or mean ± standard deviation (SD) except for biomarker results expressed as median (IQR)