Table 1.
Description of the patients on admission to the ICU: comparison between ICU survivors and non-survivors
| ICU survivors (n = 71) | ICU non-survivors (n = 18) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 59 ± 18 | 67 ± 18 | 0.080 |
| Gender (n, male; female) | 49; 22 | 13; 5 | 0.518 |
| APACHE II score | 15 ± 7 | 23 ± 5 | <0.001 |
| SOFA score | 6 ± 3 | 11 ± 5 | <0.001 |
| Admission diagnosis (n) | 0.131 | ||
| Trauma (36) | 33 | 3 | |
| Neurologic (20) | 17 | 3 | |
| Respiratory (8) | 6 | 2 | |
| Sepsis (8) | 5 | 3 | |
| Surgerya (7) | 4 | 3 | |
| Cardiac (3) | 2 | 1 | |
| Other (7) | 4 | 3 | |
| Comorbidities (n) | 0.362 | ||
| None (34) | 30 | 4 | |
| Arterial hypertension (27) | 20 | 7 | |
| Chronic vascular disease (17) | 11 | 6 | |
| Cardiac disease (24) | 16 | 8 | |
| Chronic respiratory disease (15) | 8 | 7 | |
| Diabetes mellitus (14) | 12 | 2 | |
| Obesity (13) | 9 | 4 | |
| Cancer (8) | 5 | 3 | |
| Hypercholesterolaemia (6) | 4 | 2 | |
| Chronic renal failure (6) | 4 | 2 | |
| ICU length of stay | 9 (5–15) | 3 (2–11) | 0.006 |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 80 ± 22 | 93 ± 28 | 0.036 |
| Mean arterial pressure (mmHg) | 87 (74–95) | 74 (56–87) | 0.046 |
| Hb (g/dL) | 11 ± 1.5 | 11 ± 2.3 | 0.959 |
| Arterial lactate (mmol/L) | 1.3 (0.9–1.8) | 3.1 (1.5–5.6) | <0.001 |
| Any vaspressor | 0.006 | ||
| Yes | 34 | 15 | |
| No | 37 | 3 |
Results are presented as mean ± SD or median (1st-3rd quartile). aThree high-risk scheduled surgical operations (two pulmonary lobectomies, one partial pancreatectomy complicated by intra-operative bleeding), four emergency interventions (three ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms, one fasciotomy for soft tissue infection). APACHE acute physiology and chronic evaluation, SOFA sequential organ failure assessment