Table 1. Patient characteristics in appropriately versus inappropriately treated patients (total population).
| Characteristic | Appropriate n = 729 (70.2) | Inappropriate n = 310 (29.8) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex, male | 425 (58.3) | 201 (64.8) | .06 |
| Age, mean (SD), yearsA | 60.9 (15.5) | 60.1 (15.9) | .44 |
| Arrival by ambulanceA | 202 (27.7) | 47 (15.2) | < .001 |
| Triage category, acute/highly urgentA,B | 205 (29.6) | 33 (11.1) | < .001 |
| Direct intensive care unit admittanceA | 66 (9.1) | 8 (2.6) | < .001 |
| ChillsA | 311 (42.7) | 134 (43.2) | .92 |
| Vomiting | 178 (24.4) | 68 (21.9) | .43 |
| Need for vasopressorsA | 36 (4.9) | 5 (1.6) | .02 |
| Suspected site of infection, unknown | 169 (23.2) | 70 (22.6) | .90 |
| Origin, nosocomial | 384 (52.7) | 175 (56.5) | .29 |
| Antibiotic treatment strategy | |||
| Combination therapy | 382 (52.4) | 22 (7.1) | < .001 |
| Monotherapy | 347 (47.6) | 102 (32.9) | < .001 |
| No antibiotic therapy | 0 (0.0) | 186 (60.0) | < .001 |
| Vital signs / NEWS parameters | |||
| Body temperature, mean (SD),°CA,C | 38.4 (1.2) | 38.0 (1.1) | < .001 |
| Heart rate, mean (SD), /minD | 108 (23.8) | 100 (19.6) | < .001 |
| Respiratory rate, mean (SD), /minA,E | 24 (8.5) | 21 (7.1) | < .001 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mean (SD), mm HgA,F | 125 (28.5) | 125 (24.5) | .77 |
| Oxygen saturation, mean (SD), %G | 95 (5.8) | 96 (2.4) | < .001 |
| Any supplemental oxygenA | 339 (46.5) | 62 (20.0) | < .001 |
| Consciousness, not alertA,H | 96 (15.5) | 16 (6.5) | < .001 |
| NEWS, mean (SD) | 6.0 (3.8) | 3.8 (3.1) | < .001 |
| Comorbidities of Charlson comorbidity indexI | |||
| Diabetes mellitus, uncomplicated | 147 (20.2) | 53 (17.1) | .29 |
| Diabetes mellitus, end-organ damageA | 10 (1.4) | 3 (1.0) | .77 |
| Liver disease, mildA | 93 (12.8) | 47 (15.2) | . 35 |
| Malignancy, leukemia, lymphoma, localized solid tumorA | 120 (16.5) | 61 (19.7) | .25 |
| Malignancy, metastatic solid tumorA | 93 (12.8) | 40 (12.9) | >.99 |
| Chronic kidney diseaseA | 124 (17.0) | 45 (14.5) | .37 |
| Congestive heart failure | 96 (13.2) | 37 (11.9) | .66 |
| Myocardial infarction | 103 (14.1) | 36 (11.6) | .32 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseA | 95 (13.0) | 39 (12.6) | .92 |
| Perivascular disease | 77 (10.6) | 44 (14.2) | .12 |
| Cerebrovascular accident or transient ischemic attackA | 115 (15.8) | 26 (8.4) | .002 |
| DementiaA | 30 (4.1) | 6 (1.9) | .12 |
| Connective tissue disease | 57 (7.8) | 20 (6.5) | .52 |
| Peptic ulcer disease | 17 (2.3) | 8 (2.6) | >.99 |
| Type of isolated pathogen | |||
| Gram-negative BSI | 457 (62.7) | 216 (69.7) | .03 |
Data are presented as No. (%) unless otherwise indicated. Data in this table is not imputed yet. NEWS, national early warning score; BSI, bloodstream infection.
AConfounding variables.
BData on triage category were missing for 50 (4.6%) patients.
CData on body temperature were missing for 9 (0.9%) patients.
DData on heart rate were missing for 24 (2.3%) patients.
EData on respiratory rate were missing for 370 (35.5%) patients.
FData on systolic blood pressure were missing for 20 (1.9%) patients.
GData on oxygen saturation were missing for 43 (4.3%) patients.
HData on consciousness were missing for 175 (16.8%) patients.
IComorbidities with a prevalence below 1% are not presented (i.e. moderate to severe liver disease, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and hemiplegia).