Table 2.
Characteristics and outcome of 249 mechanically ventilated patients with or without moderate-to-large pleural effusion at first spontaneous breathing trial
| Variables | Moderate-to-large pleural effusion | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absent (n = 168) | Present (n = 81) | ||
| Male gender | 98 (58%) | 52 (64%) | 0.38 |
| Age (years) | 61 [50–72] | 69 [60–80] | < 0.001 |
| SAPS II score at ICU admission | 49 [37–62] | 52 [41–67] | 0.07 |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Neurological disease | 22 (13%) | 6 (7%) | 0.18 |
| Cardiac disease | 93 (55%) | 65 (80%) | < 0.001 |
| Cirrhosis | 12 (7%) | 9 (11%) | 0.29 |
| Chronic renal failure | 22 (13%) | 16 (20%) | 0.17 |
| Cancer or hematological malignancy | 16 (10%) | 22 (27%) | < 0.001 |
| Main reason for intubation | |||
| Coma | 54 (32%) | 9 (11%) | < 0.001 |
| Acute respiratory failure | 51 (30%) | 37 (46%) | 0.02 |
| Septic shock | 22 (13%) | 12 (15%) | 0.71 |
| Others | 41 (24%) | 23 (28%) | 0.5 |
| From ICU admission to first SBT | |||
| ARDS | 32 (19%) | 23 (28%) | 0.096 |
| Duration of MV before the first SBT | 4 [2–7] | 4 [3–9] | 0.09 |
| Dialysis | 15 (9%) | 16 (20%) | 0.015 |
| Biological and ultrasound data at first SBT | |||
| Serum creatinine (µmol/L) | 74 [55–119] | 90 [60–164] | 0.07 |
| Serum protide (mg/L) | 59 [54–66] | 59 [51–63] | 0.19 |
| Bilateral pleural effusion | 16 (10%) | 60 (74%) | < 0.001 |
| Maximal interpleural distance (mm) | 0 [0–5] | 27 [20–41] | < 0.001 |
| Condensation or atelectasis of lung adjacent to the pleural effusion at ultrasound | – | 68 (84%) | |
| Left ventricle ejection fraction (%) | 60 [50–60] | 50 [39–60] | < 0.001 |
| Outcome | |||
| Pleural effusion drainage during weaning | 0 | 4 (5%) | 0.005 |
| Prophylactic NIV post-extubation | 62 (38%) | 33 (43%) | 0.39 |
| Failure of the first SBT | 19 (11%) | 27 (33%) | < 0.001 |
| Extubation failure | 24 (15%) | 15 (20%) | 0.31 |
| Weaning failurea | 36 (22%) | 37 (47%) | < 0.001 |
| Weaning groupb | 0.03 | ||
| Short weaning | 118 (70%) | 43 (53%) | |
| Difficult weaning | 38 (20%) | 26 (32%) | |
| Prolonged weaning | 16 (10%) | 12 (15%) | |
| Tracheotomy | 4 (2%) | 2 (3%) | 0.97 |
| VFD from first SBT to day 28 (days) | 23 [16–26] | 21 [5–24] | 0.01 |
| Death in ICU | 14 (8%) | 13 (16%) | 0.07 |
| Death at day 28 | 14 (8%) | 14 (17%) | 0.04 |
Values are indicating number (%) or median [1st–3rd quartile]
aAccording to the international conference consensus (three patients could not be classified)
bAccording to the WIND study classification
SAPS II simplified acute physiology score, ARDS acute respiratory distress syndrome, SBT spontaneous breathing trial, NIV noninvasive ventilation, ICU intensive care unit, VFD ventilator-free days