Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the population
| Age (years) | 65 (61–74) |
| Male patients | 41 (59%) |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.3 (22.0–32.3) |
| Comorbidities | |
| Chronic respiratory disease | 30 (43%) |
| Chronic cardiac disease | 11 (16%) |
| Chronic kidney disease | 8 (11%) |
| Diabetes | 12 (17%) |
| SAPS II | 43 (35–45) |
| pH | 7.28 (7.22–7.32) |
| PaCO2 (mmHg) | 64 (56–73) |
| VT (ml/kg PBW) | 6.2 (5.9–7.9) |
| Respiratory setting | |
| IMV | 59 (84%) |
| NIV | 11 (16%) |
| Concomitant treatments | |
| Vasopressors | 27 (39%) |
| Renal replacement therapy | 8 (11%) |
| Neuromuscular blockade | 37 (53%) |
| Steroids | 16 (23%) |
| Prone positioning | 4 (6%) |
Results are expressed as median (IQR) for continuous variables and count and proportion for categorical variables
Abbreviations: BMI body mass index, SAPS Simplified Acute Physiology Score, VT tidal volume, PBW predicted body weight, IMV invasive mechanical ventilation, NIV non-invasive ventilation