Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of surgical patients with sepsis
| Parameter | All surgical patients (n = 435) | Patients who received an RBC transfusion (n = 302) | Patients without an RBC transfusion (n = 133) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 62 ± 15 | 63 ± 15 | 61 ± 15 | 0.25 |
| Gender (male %) | 64 | 63 | 65 | 0.66 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27 ± 6 | 27 ± 5 | 28 ± 7 | 0.93 |
| Septic shock (day 1) [%] | 63 | 69 | 51 | 0.0004 |
| SOFA score (day 1) | 8.9 ± 3.7 | 9.5 ± 3.8 | 7.5 ± 3.0 | < 0.001 |
| APACHE II score (day 1) | 20.8 ± 6.5 (n = 430) | 21.6 ± 6.6 (n = 300) | 19.0 ± 6.1 (n = 130) | 0.0002 |
| Comorbidities (%) | ||||
| Arterial hypertension | 52 | 50 | 56 | 0.22 |
| Previous myocardial infarction | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0.12 |
| COPD | 12 | 14 | 8 | 0.12 |
| Kidney disease | 9 | 10 | 6 | 0.22 |
| Diabetes mellitus (insulin-dependent) | 9 | 10 | 9 | 0.85 |
| Diabetes mellitus (not insulin-dependent) | 8 | 7 | 10 | 0.31 |
| Chronic liver disease | 6 | 7 | 4 | 0.24 |
| Malignant tumour | 20 | 23 | 12 | 0.0072 |
| Stroke | 6 | 4 | 10 | 0.0266 |
| Site of infection (%) | ||||
| Pulmonary | 56 | 52 | 66 | 0.14 |
| Abdominal | 28 | 32 | 16 | 0.0457 |
| Bones or soft tissues | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0.45 |
| Surgical wounds | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0.54 |
| Urogenital | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0.73 |
| Primary bacteraemia | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0.58 |
| Other | 4 | 2 | 7 | 0.0130 |
| Organ support (day 1) [%] | ||||
| Mechanical ventilation | 85 | 86 | 83 | 0.53 |
| Vasopressors | 63 | 69 | 51 | 0.0004 |
| Renal replacement therapy | 7 | 9 | 2 | 0.0042 |
| Medication with statins [%] | 20 | 22 | 16 | 0.13 |
Italic indicates significance of P values (P < 0.05)