Table 1.
Patient characteristics stratified by non-infectious SIRS/sepsis (n = 289)
| Predictor variable | Sepsis (n = 56) frequency/median (1st quartile-3rd quartile) | Non-infectious SIRS (n = 233) frequency/median (1st quartile-3rd quartile) | p-value (chi squared/Wilcoxon ranksum test) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline characteristics | |||
| Age (months) | 28 (4–105) | 46 (9–120) | 0.129 |
| Female sex (n) | 21 | 109 | 0.233 |
| Weight (kg) | 11.85 (4.50–27.12) | 15.95 (7.67–32.68) | 0.126 |
| Height (cm) | 97 (63–124) | 99 (68–138) | 0.048 |
| Indicators of disease severity | |||
| PRISM score at PICU admission | 14 (8–19) | 11 (7–17) | 0.155 |
| PIM II score at PICU admission | 5 (2–10) | 2 (1–7) | 0.034 |
| Clinical parameters | |||
| SBP (mmHg) | 80.5 (70–94.75) | 82 (70–94) | 0.763 |
| HR (bpm) | 162 (138–180.8) | 151 (133–175) | 0.947 |
| CVP (mmHg) | 11 (8–15.5) | 13 (10–16) | 0.178 |
| Lactate (mmol/L) | 1.8 (1.4–2.77) | 2 (1.2–3.8) | 0.513 |
| Respiratory frequency (per minute) | 25 (15–40) | 22 (15–35) | 0.973 |
| SpO2 (%) | 95 (89.25–97) | 96 (94–98) | 0.015 |
| Urinary excretion (L per day) | 3.34 (1.62–4.49) | 2.83 (1.88–4.43) | 0.582 |
| Core temperature (°C) | 39.15 (38.6–39.32) | 38.7 (38.2–39) | < 0.001 |
| Blood gases/ laboratory parameters | |||
| pH | 7.41 (7.33–7.46) | 7.39 (7.32–7.45) | 0.388 |
| pCO2 (mmHg) | 42 (38–50.25) | 41 (36–47) | 0.433 |
| HCO3− (mmol/L) | 25 (23–27.25) | 24 (22–27) | 0.048 |
| Leucocyte count (× 109/L) | 11.9 (5.05–18.5) | 13.55 (6.6–18.2) | 0.593 |
| Hb (g/dL) | 10.9 (9.5–12.8) | 10.8 (9.5–12.6) | 0.331 |
| Platelet count (× 109/L) | 112 (44–288.5) | 169.5 (110.8–239.8) | 0.023 |
| INR | 1.42 (1.21–1.67) | 1.33 (1.2–1.62) | 0.28 |
| PTT (sec) | 39.5 (34–50) | 35 (31–44.75) | 0.013 |
| Fibrinogen (μmol/L) | 3.24 (2.31–4.08) | 2.6 (1.75–3.8) | 0.018 |
| d-dimer (ng/mL) | 5008 (2328–11,240) | 2733 (1224–5726) | 0.001 |
| CRP (mg/L) | 48 (30–85.5) | 33.5 (12.25–72) | 0.009 |
| IL-6 (ng/L) | 118 (40–412) | 52 (22–122.5) | 0.001 |
| PCT (μg/L) | 2.55 (0.48–8.45) | 1 (0.3–4.17) | 0.020 |
| AST (U/L) | 75 (34.5–146.5) | 73.5 (40–182.5) | 0.388 |
| ALT (U/L) | 43.5 (16.25–93.5) | 32 (18–71.5) | 0.295 |
| Phosphate (mmol/L) | 1.54 (1.24–1.86) | 1.64 (1.27–2.02) | 0.238 |
| Creatinine (μmol/L) | 33.5 (26.25–61.5) | 44.5 (31–65) | 0.079 |
| Urea (mmol/L) | 7.55 (3.92–11.25) | 6.2 (4–10.5) | 0.285 |
| Technical ICU support | |||
| Mechanical ventilation (n) | 55 (98%) | 221 (95%) | 0.474 |
| Central venous catheter (n) | 43 (77%) | 201 (86%) | 0.099 |
| Number of peripheral IV cannulas | 2 (1–2) | 2 (1–2) | 0.972 |
| In-line filter application (allocation to interventional group in NCT00209768; ClinicalTrials.gov number) | 24 (43%) | 102 (44%) | 1 |
| Medical/ surgical treatment | |||
| Antibiotics (n) | 49 (88%) | 195 (84%) | 0.545 |
| Steroids (n) | 17 (30%) | 45 (19%) | 0.101 |
| Catecholamines (n) | 24 (43%) | 132 (57%) | 0.074 |
| FiO2 | 0.3 (0.25–0.5) | 0.35 (0.24–0.5) | 0.806 |
| Surgery before PICU admission (n) | 40 (71%) | 171 (73%) | 0.741 |
| Sepsis/ SIRS related factors | |||
| Length of PICU stay until onset of SIRS/ sepsis (days) | 15 (6–41) | 2 (1–9) | < 0.001 |
| Cumulative sepsis or SIRS episodes (n) | < 0.001 | ||
| 0 | 31 | 199 | |
| 1 | 14 | 24 | |
| 2 | 7 | 6 | |
| 3 | 2 | 4 | |
| 4 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total SIRS episodes (n) | 0.003 | ||
| 0 | 40 | 203 | |
| 1 | 11 | 23 | |
| 2 | 4 | 6 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total sepsis episodes (n) | < 0.001 | ||
| 0 | 43 | 223 | |
| 1 | 9 | 10 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| 4 | 1 | 0 | |
ALT alanine transaminase, AST aspartate transaminase, CRP C-reactive protein, CVP central venous pressure, FiO2 fraction of inspired oxygen, Hb hemoglobin, HCO3− bicarbonate, HR heart rate, ICU intensive care unit, IL-6 interleukin 6, INR international normalized ratio, pCO2 partial pressure of carbon dioxide, PCT procalcitonin, PTT partial thromboplastin time, SBP systolic blood pressure, SIRS systemic inflammatory response syndrome, SpO2 oxygen saturation from pulse oximetry