Table 4.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of severe sepsis and/or septic shock patients
| Demographic/clinical characteristic | Severe sepsis (n = 134) | Septic shock (n = 53) |
| Previous location | ||
| Surgery | 50 (37) | 26 (49) |
| Internal Medicine | 20 (15) | 5 (9) |
| Cardiology | 0 | 0 |
| Neurology | 5 (4) | 2 (4) |
| Emergency room | 35 (26) | 14 (26) |
| Outside hospital | 13 10) | 3 (6) |
| Other | 11 (8) | 3 (6) |
| Reason for ICU admission | ||
| Acute surgery | 41 (31) | 20 (38) |
| Elective surgery | 5 (4) | 2 (4) |
| Acute trauma | 5 (4) | 1 (2) |
| Acute infection | 83 (62) | 30 (57) |
| Source of infection | ||
| Lung | 63 (47) | 22 (42) |
| Abdomen | 45 (34) | 20 (38) |
| Urethra | 3 (2) | 3 (6) |
| Central nervous system | 2 (1) | 1 (2) |
| Blood | 3 (2) | 0 |
| Skin | 9 (7) | 5 (9) |
| Other | 9 (7) | 2 (4) |
| Comorbidities | ||
| Diabetes | 25 (19) | 9 (17) |
| History of CVA | 17 (13) | 7 (13) |
| Malignancy | 32 (24) | 14 (26) |
| Heart failure | 12 (9) | 4 (8) |
| Respiratory failure | 35 (26) | 13 (25) |
| Liver failure | 2 (1) | 1 (2) |
| Kidney failure | 14 (10) | 7 (13) |
Previous location, reason for admission, source of infection and presence of comorbidities at the time of intensive care unit (ICU) admission in prevalent patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Number of patients (%). CVA, cerebrovascular accident.