Table 4.
Clinical characteristics of patients receiving 7-day treatment after propensity score matching
| Characteristics | Rhubarb group (n = 68) | Usual treatment group (n = 68) | Statistical values | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOFA score, mean ± SD | 4.84 ± 3.61 | 5.53 ± 3.79 | −1.089† | 0.278 |
| APACHE II score, mean ± SD | 12.56 ± 6.03 | 12.74 ± 6.00 | −0.171† | 0.864 |
| Bowel sound, n | ||||
| No improvement | 6 | 24 | 14.170* | 0.001 |
| Improvement | 62 | 44 | ||
| Abdominal distension, n | ||||
| No | 30 | 22 | −1.789‡ | 0.074 |
| Light | 33 | 34 | ||
| Medium | 3 | 12 | ||
| Heavy | 2 | 0 | ||
| Alleviation of abdominal distension, n | 50 | 43 | 1.666* | 0.197 |
| Frequency of defecation, median (Q1, Q3) | 2 (1, 2) | 1 (0, 1) | −5.305‡ | <0.001 |
| GI bleeding, n | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Enteral nutrition ≥83.7 kJ·kg−1·d−1, n | 53 | 21 | 30.354* | <0.001 |
| AGI grade, n | ||||
| 0 | 31 | 7 | −4.805‡ | <0.001 |
| I | 22 | 22 | ||
| II | 11 | 32 | ||
| III | 4 | 7 | ||
| Improvement of AGI grade, n | ||||
| Aggravation | 3 | 3 | −5.148‡ | <0.001 |
| No improvement | 13 | 42 | ||
| Improvement | 52 | 23 | ||
| Aggravation of liver function injury, n | 0 | 2 | 0.163§ | |
| Aggravation of renal function injury, n | 1 | 0 | 1.000§ | |
| 28-day mortality, n | 16 | 21 | −0.928* | 0.335 |
| Duration of ICU (days), median (Q1, Q3) | 9.0 (7.0, 11.5) | 9.0 (7.5, 12.5) | 2.003‡ | 0.045 |
| Duration of hospitalization (days), median (Q1, Q3) | 21.5 (12.0, 45.0) | 21.0 (14.3, 32.3) | −0.205‡ | 0.838 |
| CRP (mg/L), median (Q1, Q3) | 25.39 (12.03, 67.61) | 53.48 (28.19, 100.25) | −3.419‡ | 0.001 |
| PCT (ng/ml), median (Q1, Q3) | 0.30 (0.12, 1.01) | 0.38 (0.11, 1.41) | −1.171‡ | 0.242 |
| Endotoxin (EU/ml), median (Q1, Q3) | 0.07 (0.05, 0.10) | 0.07 (0.05, 0.10) | −0.538‡ | 0.590 |
*Chi-square test; †t-test; ‡Nonparametric test; §Fisher exact test. SOFA: Sequential Organ Failure Assessment; APACHE II: Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II; GI: Gastrointestinal; AGI: Acute gastrointestinal injury; ICU: Intensive Care Unit; CRP: C-reactive protein; PCT: Procalcitonin; SD: Standard deviation; –: Not applicable.