Table 1.
Comparison of patient characteristics across criteria for suspicion of infection
| Characteristic | Any culture (n=53,849) | Blood culture (n=38,438) | Any culture + antibiotics (n=30,677) | Blood culture + antibiotics (n=25,958) | Any culture + 4d antibiotics (n=16,596) | Blood culture + 4d antibiotics (n=14,772) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infection first suspected in the ED, n (%) | 25,404 (47) | 20,451 (53) | 18,523 (60) | 16,171 (62) | 9,461 (57) | 8,575 (58) |
| Age, mean (SD), years | 57 (18) | 58 (18) | 58 (18) | 58 (18) | 58 (18) | 58 (18) |
| Female sex, n (%) | 29,130 (54) | 19,826 (52) | 16,2116 (53) | 13,307 (51) | 8,297 (50) | 7,248 (49) |
| Race, n (%) | ||||||
| Black | 30,706 (57) | 22,416 (58) | 17,813 (58) | 15,277 (59) | 9,101 (55) | 8,193 (55) |
| White | 19,420 (36) | 13,447 (35) | 10,685 (35) | 8,901 (34) | 6,208 (37) | 5,472 (37) |
| Other | 2,061 (4) | 1,516 (4) | 1,253 (4) | 1,079 (4) | 737 (4) | 651 (4) |
| Unknown | 1,662 (3) | 1,059 (3) | 926 (3) | 701 (3) | 550 (3) | 456 (3) |
| Met Angus sepsis criteria, n (%) | 10,527 (20) | 9,299 (24) | 8,744 (29) | 8,077 (31) | 6,192 (37) | 5,877 (40) |
| Ever ICU transfer, n (%) | 9,117 (17) | 7,788 (20) | 7,258 (24) | 6,578 (25) | 5,151 (31) | 4,830 (33) |
| Ever received vasopressor, n (%) | 3,163 (6) | 2,810 (7) | 2,724 (9) | 2,546 (10) | 2,226 (13) | 2,140 (14) |
| In-hospital mortality, n (%) | 1,772 (3) | 1,644 (4) | 1,649 (5) | 1,568 (6) | 1,440 (9) | 1,374 (9) |
Abbreviations: ED = emergency department, LOS = length of stay, ICU = intensive care unit