Table 2.
Outcomes – Overall Set
| 95% Confidence interval | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outcome | MgSO4 Overall: n = 191 | Placebo Overall: n = 174 | Mean difference | Lower | Upper | P value | ||
| Mean time to discharge readiness h (SD) | 14.7 (9.7) | 15.6 (11.3) | −0.9 | −3.1 | 1.3 | 0.41 | ||
| Readiness by 8 hr % (SE, %) | 21.5 (3.0) | 25.3 (3.3) | −3.8 | −12.5 | 4.9 | 0.39 | ||
| Readiness by 12 h | 49.7 (3.6) | 51.1 (3.8) | −1.4 | −11.7 | 9.9 | 0.79 | ||
| Readiness by 24 hr | 90.6 (2.1) | 88.5 (2.4) | 2.1 | −4.7 | 9.0 | 0.52 | ||
| Readiness by 36 hr | 97.4 (1.1) | 93.7 (1.8) | 3.7 | −1.1 | 1.1 | 0.08 | ||
| Readiness by 48 hr | 99.0 (0.7) | 97.7 (1.1) | 1.3 | −1.4 | 3.9 | 0.35 | ||
| Secondary outcomes | ||||||||
| Dischargeable by 24 hr, n (%) | 173 (90.6) | 154 (88.5) | (2.1) | (−5.7) | (9.0) | 0.52 | ||
| Antibiotic therapy, n (%) | 56 (29.3) | 56 (32.1) | (−2.9) | (−12.7) | (6.9) | 0.53 | ||
| Oxygen during infirmary care, n (%) | 14 (7.3) | 22 (12.6) | (−5.3) | (−12.2) | (1.3) | 0.09 | ||
| Mean asthma severity score (SD) | ||||||||
| Score on admission | 7.6 (1.3) | 7.4 (1.3) | −0.1 | −0.4 | −0.2 | 0.37 | ||
| Score at 4 hr | 5.0 (1.6) | 4.6 (1.8) | −0.4 | −0.7 | −0.01 | 0.05 | ||
| Score at 8 hr | 4.2 (1.5) | 4.2 (1.7) | 0.0 | −0.4 | 0.4 | 0.98 | ||
| Score at 12 hr | 4.0 (1.6) | 3.9 (1.5) | −0.1 | −0.5 | 0.5 | 0.94 | ||
| Score at 24 hr | 3.9 (1.6) | 3.3 (1.5) | −0.6 | −1.4 | 0.3 | 0.19 | ||
| Score at 36 hr | 4.4 (2.2) | 3.1 (1.3) | −1.3 | −2.8 | 0.3 | 0.12 | ||
| Score at 48 hr | 5.0 (1.7) | 4.4 (1.7) | −0.6 | −3.6 | 2.4 | 0.65 | ||
| Score when dischargeable | 2.1 (0.9) | 2.2 (0.9) | −0.1 | −0.2 | 0.1 | 0.57 | ||
| PEC revisit in 2 wk after discharge n(%) | 30 (15.7) | 30 (17.2) | (−1.5) | (−9.7) | (6.5) | 0.69 | ||
| Need for infirmary in 2 wk after discharge, n (%) | 9 (4.7) | 14 (8.0) | (−3.3) | (−9.2) | (2.1) | 0.19 | ||
| Hospital admission in 2 wk after discharge (%) | 1 (0.5) | 1 (0.6) | (−0.1) | (−3.1) | (2.8) | 0.95 | ||