Table 4.
Patient characteristics according to decision to limit life sustaining treatment: withholding and/or withdrawing
| Variables | Categories | All | No limitation | Withdraw and/or withhold | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 3920 | 2540 | 1332 | ||
| Age | Median (range) (IQR) | 84 (range: 80–104) (IQR: 81–87) | 83 (range 80–100) (IQR 81–86) | 84 (range 80–99) (IQR 82-87) | < 0.0001 |
| SOFA | Missing | 11 | 3 | 6 | |
| Median (range) (IQR) | 6 (range: 0–20) (IQR: 4–9) | 6 (range 0–20) (IQR 3–9) | 7 (range 0–19) (IQR 5–10) | < 0.0001 | |
| CFS | Missing | 17 | 7 | 9 | |
| Median (range) (IQR) | 4 (range: 1–9) (IQR: 3–6) | 4 (range 1–9) (IQR 3–5) | 4 (range 1–9) (IQR 3–6) | < 0.0001 | |
| IQ Code | Missing | 940 | 504 | 416 | |
| Median (range) (IQR) | 3.19 (range: 1–5) (IQR: 3–3.69) | 3.19 (range 1–5) (IQR 3–3.57) | 3.31 (range 1–5) (IQR 3.06–3.88) | < 0.0001 | |
| Katz | Missing | 447 | 219 | 215 | |
| Median (range) (IQR) | 6 (range: 0–6) (IQR: 4–6) | 6 (range 0–6) (IQR 5–6) | 6 (range 0–6) (IQR 4–6) | < 0.0001 | |
| Comorbidities | Missing | 7 | 1 | 2 | |
| Median (range) (IQR) | 4 (range: 0–20) (IQR: 3–6) | 4 (range 0–20) (IQR 3–5) | 4 (range 0–20) (IQR 3–6) | 0.005 | |
| Drugs daily | Missing | 8 | 1 | 2 | |
| Median (range) (IQR) | 6 (range: 0–26) (IQR: 4–9) | 6 (range 0–21) (IQR 4–8) | 7 (range 0–26) (IQR 4–9) | < 0.0001 | |
| CPS | Missing | 8 | 1 | 2 | |
| Median (range) (IQR) | 10 (range: 0–36) (IQR: 7–14) | 10 (range 0–36) (IQR 7–14) | 11 (range 0–35) (IQR 8–5) | < 0.0001 | |
| ICU LOS in days (all patients alive/dead) | Missing | 11 | 3 | 1 | |
| Median (range) (IQR) | 3.88 (range: 0.04–120) (IQR: 1.83–8) | 3.96 (range 0.04–120) (IQR 1.96–8) | 3.67 (range 0.04–85.5) (IQR 1.54–7.85) | 0.03 |
N = 48 patients with missing information on LST limitation (WH/WD)