Table 2.

Results of the univariate and multivariate analyses

Outcome variable	Univariate analyses					Multivariate analyses
	Intervention group (n = 43)		Control group (n = 93)		p value	Adjusted effect estimate intervention vs. control (95% CI)a	Adjusted p valuea
	No. obs.	Result	No. obs.	Result
Primary endpoint
Clinical resolution, no. (%)	43	31 (72.1%)	93	65 (69.9%)	0.793b	OR: 7.1 (1.2, 43.3)	0.033c
Secondary endpoints
Resolution of fever, no. (%)	12	12 (100.0%)	24	22 (91.7%)	0.303b	--d	--d
Inflammatory lab data
Patients with reduction in PCT, no. (%)	25	21 (84.0%)	63	40 (63.5%)	0.060b	OR: 12.4 (1.4, 109.7)	0.023c
Change in PCT, median (min., max.)e	25	− 2.4 (− 82.8, 2.0)	63	− 0.1 (-174.3, 194.2)	0.009f	Coef.: − 12.7 (− 30.6, 5.2)	0.164g
Patients with reduction in CRP, no. (%)	35	27 (77.1%)	89	69 (77.5%)	0.963b	OR: 1.8 (0.3, 10.0)	0.486c
Change in CRP, median (min., max.)e	35	− 3.4 (− 22.6, 13.1)	89	− 5.6 (− 38.1, 26.3)	0.439f	Coef.: − 0.6 (− 4.2, 3.1)	0.764g
Resolution of leukocytosis, no. (%)	17	8 (47.1%)	40	25 (62.5%)	0.280b	OR: 0.8 (0.03, 19.1)	0.883c
Length of stay (days), median (min., max.)
Hospital	43	23 (3, 160)	93	19 (2, 167)	0.064f	Coef.: 6.6 (− 0.7, 13.8)	0.076g
Critical care area	43	12 (2, 70)	93	7 (1, 46)	0.011f	Coef.: 1.9 (− 1.5, 5.4)	0.267g
Intensive care unit	39	10 (2, 48)	78	5 (1, 46)	0.003f	Coef.: 2.7 (− 0.8, 6.1)	0.130g
Length of therapy, median (min., max.)
Systemic antimicrobials (days)	43	17 (2, 133)	93	13 (2, 52)	0.032f	Coef.: 3.8 (− 1.6, 9.1)	0.165g
Intubation (hours)	22	77 (8, 355)	21	49 (3, 265)	0.489f	Coef.: 24.8 (− 57.6, 107.1)	0.556g
Mechanical ventilation, including intubation (hours)	31	75 (1, 570)	51	59 (2, 552)	0.450f	Coef.: 8.4 (− 67.8, 84.5)	0.830g
In-hospital mortality, no. (%)	43	12 (27.9%)	93	23 (24.7%)	0.694b	OR: 0.4 (0.05, 2.9)	0.347c
Hospital readmission within 30 daysh, no. (%)	43	6 (14.0%)	93	11 (11.8%)	0.727b	OR: 27.1 (0.04, 18543.9)	0.322c
Mortality within 30 daysh, no. (%)	30	1 (3.3%)	69	8 (11.6%)	0.189b	OR: 0.2 (0.01, 2.7)	0.215c
Patients with creatinine clearance reduction, no. (%)	26	4 (15.4%)	80	25 (31.3%)	0.115b	OR: 0.3 (0.01, 7.6)	0.463c
Reduction in creatinine clearance (ml/min)e, median (min., max.)	4	− 11.3 (− 18.0, − 1.7)	25	− 16.2 (− 54.9, − 1.5)	0.184f	Coef.: 14.4 (− 1.6, 30.3)	0.073g

95% CI, 95% confidence interval; CRP, C-Reactive protein; Coef., regression coefficient; max., maximum; min., minimum; no.: number; no. obs., number of available observations; OR, odds ratio; p, probability of the comparison test; PCT, procalcitonin

^aAdjusted by: sex; age; body mass index; presence of comorbidities (immunosuppression, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, oncologic diagnosis, metastasis, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, cirrhosis); total number of comorbidities; type of stay in the critical care area; reason for admission to the critical care area; surgery during hospital stay; infectious disease diagnosis; fever, white blood cell count, CRP, and PCT at the beginning of the systemic antimicrobial therapy; worst sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) value during hospital stay; and mechanical ventilation, and intubation previous to the beginning of systemic antimicrobials

^bChi-square

^cLogistic regression

^dIt was not possible to develop a regression model since all the patients in the intervention group resolved fever at the end of the systemic antimicrobial therapy

^eDifference between values at the end of the systemic antimicrobial therapy and values at the beginning of it. A negative value denotes that the patient had lower values at the end of systemic antimicrobial treatment in comparison with values at the beginning of it

^fMann–Whitney U test

^gMultiple linear regression

^hAfter hospital discharge