Table 1.
Characteristics of study patients at ICU admission
| Characteristics | De-escalation | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes (n = 38) | No (n = 152) | ||
| Age, years | 63 [56–68] | 63 [55–72] | 0.57 |
| Female gender n (%) | 8 (21) | 55 (36) | 0.067 |
| SAPS II | 49 [30–68] | 54 [36–71] | 0.38 |
| Comorbidities n (%) | |||
| Diabetes | 8 (21) | 30 (20) | 0.87 |
| COPD | 9 (24) | 33 (22) | 0.79 |
| Chronic heart failure | 8 (21) | 30 (20) | 0.87 |
| Cirrhosis | 4 (11) | 10 (6) | 0.49 |
| Chronic dialysis | 9 (24) | 14 (9) | 0.014* |
| Immunosuppression n (%) | |||
| Chemotherapy | 7 (18) | 13 (9) | 0.076 |
| Corticosteroid therapy | 9 (24) | 29 (19) | 0.53 |
| Transfer from | 0.66 | ||
| Home | 4 (11) | 21 (14) | |
| Other wards | 25 (66) | 104 (68) | |
| Other ICUs | 9 (24) | 27 (18) | |
| Admission category | 0.75 | ||
| Medical | 22 (58) | 98 (64) | |
| Surgical | 15 (39) | 51 (34) | |
| Other (trauma, burn) | 1 (3) | 3 (2) | |
| Cause for ICU admission | |||
| Acute exacerbation of COPD | 3 (8) | 26 (17) | 0.16 |
| Acute respiratory distress syndrome | 12 (32) | 41 (27) | 0.57 |
| Community-acquired pneumonia | 11 (29) | 32 (21) | 0.30 |
| Hospital-acquired pneumonia | 6 (16) | 38 (25) | 0.23 |
| Congestive heart failure | 0 (0) | 7 (5) | 0.18 |
| Neurologic failure | 0 (0) | 7 (5) | 0.18 |
| Poisoning | 1 (3) | 15 (10) | 0.15 |
| Septic shock | 22 (58) | 89 (59) | 0.94 |
| Infection at ICU admission | 37 (97) | 135 (89) | 0.17 |
| Prior antibiotic treatment | 16 (42) | 69 (45) | 0.72 |
| Prior antifungal treatment | 5 (13) | 15 (10) | 0.56 |
Data are N (%), or median (interquartile range)
COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ICU intensive care unit, SAPS simplified acute physiology score
* Odds ratio (95% confidence interval) 3.1 (1.21–7.74)