Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population (N = 116)
| Baseline characteristics | ||
| Age | 60 | (48–66) |
| Female | 52 | (45) |
| Diagnosis | ||
| ALL | 15 | (13) |
| AML | 75 | (65) |
| MDS | 26 | (22) |
| Time from leukaemia diagnosis to ICU admission | ||
| Less than 3 months | 35 | (30) |
| 3–6 months | 12 | (10) |
| 6–12 months | 20 | (17) |
| More than 12 months | 50 | (43) |
| Chemotherapy within 6 weeks prior to admission | 76 | (66) |
| Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) | 43 | (37) |
| Graft-versus-host reaction | 20 | (17) |
| Relapse after having received treatment | 20 | (17) |
| Transformation from other haematological malignancy | 18 | (16) |
| From MDS to AML | 10 | (9) |
| From CML to AML | 2 | (2) |
| From CMML to AML | 2 | (2) |
| From Mb. Waldenstrom to AML | 1 | (1) |
| Respiratory or systemic fungal infection | 19 | (16) |
| Primary reason for ICU admission | ||
| Respiratory failure | 59 | (51) |
| Septic shock/severe sepsis | 39 | (34) |
| Bleeding | 3 | (3) |
| Severe graft-versus-host reaction | 3 | (3) |
| Other | 13 | (11) |
| WBC count at admission (× 109 per litre) | 3 | (0.2–11) |
| ICU characteristics | ||
| Sepsisa | 109 | (94) |
| Sepsis | 9 | (8) |
| Severe sepsis | 18 | (15) |
| Septic shock | 82 | (71) |
| Mechanical ventilation in ICU | 101 | (87) |
| Vasopressor in ICU | 95 | (82) |
| Renal replacement therapy in ICU | 42 | (37) |
| Emergency surgery immediately before or during ICU stay | 3 | (3) |
| SAPS II | 58 | (50–75) |
| SOFA (admission) | 12 | (9–14) |
| SOFA (admission) without platelet scoreb | 8 | (6–11) |
| SOFA (maximum) | 14 | (11–17) |
| Length of ICU stay, days | 7 | (2–16) |
Values are number (%) or median (IQR)
AML acute myeloid leukaemia, ALL acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, MDS myelodysplastic syndrome, CML chronic myeloid leukaemia, CMML chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia, SAPS II Simplified Acute Physiology Score, SOFA Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, WBC white blood cell
aAccording to the International Sepsis Definitions 2003 [23]
bSOFA score at admission minus score values given for platelets count (× 109 per litre): ≥ 150: score = 0; ≥ 150: score = 0; < 150: score = 1; < 100: score = 2; < 50: score = 3; < 20: score = 4