Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the unmatched cohort.
| Variable | Overall (n = 1144) | Treatment Group (n = 229) | Control Group (n = 915) | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 67 (58–75) | 67 (58–76) | 67 (60–75) | 0.91 |
| Sex, male | 713 (62.3) | 136 (59.4) | 577 (63.1) | 0.30 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Hypertension | 412 (36.1) | 89 (38.9) | 323 (35.3) | 0.31 |
| Diabetes | 335 (29.3) | 71 (31.0) | 264 (28.9) | 0.52 |
| Cardiac disease | 152 (13.3) | 24 (10.5) | 128 (13.4) | 0.16 |
| Chronic lung disease | 94 (8.2) | 17 (7.4) | 77 (8.4) | 0.62 |
| Chronic renal disease | 78 (6.8) | 15 (6.6) | 63 (6.9) | 0.85 |
| Chronic liver disease | 180 (15.7) | 35 (15.3) | 145 (15.9) | 0.83 |
| Hematologic malignancy | 113 (9.9) | 19 (8.3) | 94 (10.3) | 0.37 |
| Metastatic solid cancer | 364 (31.8) | 72 (31.4) | 292 (31.9) | 0.89 |
| Suspected infection focus | 0.04 | |||
| Respiratory infection | 268 (22.4) | 41 (17.9) | 227 (24.8) | |
| Urinary tract infection | 158 (13.8) | 41 (17.9) | 117 (12.8) | |
| Intra-abdominal infection | 435 (38.0) | 85 (37.1) | 350 (38.3) | |
| Others or unknown | 283 (24.7) | 62 (27.1) | 221 (24.2) | |
| Laboratory tests | ||||
| White blood cell count, ×103/μL | 9.6 (4.5–16.3) | 8.1 (4.1–15.1) | 9.9 (4.6–16.9) | 0.17 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 10.7 (9.0–12.4) | 10.6 (9.0–12.2) | 10.8 (9.0–12.5) | 0.33 |
| Platelet count (×103/μL) | 137 (66–215) | 132 (72–183) | 138 (65–225) | 0.30 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 1.3 (0.9–2.0) | 1.4 (1.0–2.2) | 1.3 (0.9–2.0) | 0.06 |
| ALT (U/L) | 28 (16–57) | 30 (16–57) | 28 (16–57) | 0.85 |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 2.9 (2.4–3.4) | 2.8 (2.4–3.3) | 3.0 (2.5–3.4) | 0.01 |
| Initial lactate (mmol/L) | 3.6 (2.0–5.5) | 3.4 (2.1–5.7) | 3.7 (1.9–5.5) | 0.72 |
| Blood culture—positive | 484 (42.3) | 367 (40.1) | 117 (51.1) | <0.01 |
| Septic shock criteria, Sepsis-3 consensus definition | 593 (51.8) | 152 (66.4) | 441 (48.2) | <0.01 |
| Adjunctive steroid use within 48 h | 287 (25.1) | 62 (27.1) | 225 (24.6) | 0.43 |
| Vasopressor use | 966 (84.4) | 217 (94.8) | 749 (81.9) | <0.01 |
| Mechanical ventilation | 328 (17.9) | 67 (39.3) | 261 (28.5) | 0.82 |
| Interventions for source control | 332 (29.0) | 58 (25.3) | 274 (30.0) | 0.16 |
| Maximum SOFA score in 24 h | 8 (5–11) | 9 (6–12) | 8 (5–11) | <0.01 |
| APACHE II score | 20 (15–27) | 27 (21–52) | 27 (20–56) | 0.99 |
Data are shown as median (interquartile range) or as n (%). ALT: alanine aminotransferase; SOFA: Sequential Organ Failure Assessment; APACHE: Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation.