Table 1.

Patient characteristics

	Admission diagnosis	SAPS III	SOFA day 1	SOFA day 2	ICU LoS*
Completed full protocol (included in primary analysis)
Patient 1	Respiratory failure	44	3	3	3
Patient 2	Respiratory failure	48	11	7	6
Patient 3	Mediastinitis	45	8	7	11
Patient 4	Respiratory failure	59	1	1	3
Patient 6	Meningitis	66	1	1	6
Patient 10	Respiratory failure	34	6	5	10
Patient 11	Respiratory failure	64	3	3	5
Patient 12	GI bleed	68	3	2	18
Completed part of protocol (included in secondary analysis)
Patient 5	Peritonitis	51	7	7	3
Patient 7	Respiratory failure	52	4	-	3
Patient 8	Trauma	35	-	2	6
Patient 9	Respiratory failure	60	2	-	7

SOFA sequential organ failure assessment, SAPS III simplified acute physiology score III, LoS length of stay, GI gastrointestinal

*LoS on first study day