Table 2.
Comparison of clinical characteristics and initial laboratory indices among patients with high and low nutritional risk.
| Variable | Reference value | High nutritional risk group (mNUTRIC ≥5, n = 83), n (%) | Low nutritional risk group (mNUTRIC ＜5, n = 53), n (%) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical characteristics | ||||
| Age, median (IQR), years | 71 (63–80) | 64 (53–70) | ＜0.001 | |
| ≥65 | 60 (72) | 26 (49) | 0.006 | |
| ＜65 | 23 (28) | 27 (51) | ||
| Gender | ||||
| Male | 54 (65) | 32 (60) | 0.581 | |
| Female | 29 (35) | 21 (40) | ||
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Hypertension | 41 (49) | 27 (51) | 0.860 | |
| Diabetes | 35 (42) | 21 (40) | 0.769 | |
| Cardiovascular disease | 16 (19) | 10 (19) | 0.953 | |
| Malignancy | 6 (7) | 2 (4) | 0.644 | |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 8 (10) | 4 (8) | 0.913 | |
| Chronic kidney disease | 5 (6) | 0 | 0.176 | |
| Liver cirrhosis | 0 | 1 (2) | 0.390 | |
| Immunopathy | 1 (1) | 3 (6) | 0.327 | |
| Initial symptoms | ||||
| Fever | 76 (92) | 48 (91) | 1.000 | |
| Cough | 60 (72) | 44 (83) | 0.150 | |
| Hemoptysis | 5 (6) | 2 (4) | 0.856 | |
| Dyspnea | 80 (96) | 50 (94) | 0.890 | |
| Diarrhea | 21 (25) | 7 (13) | 0.089 | |
| Vital signs, median (IQR) | ||||
| Heart rate, bpm | 102 (88–120) | 99 (84–110) | 0.314 | |
| Respiratory rate, bpm | 30 (25–35) | 30 (25–40) | 0.870 | |
| Mean arterial pressure, mmHg | 100 (86–107) | 104 (96–112) | 0.029 | |
| Laboratory indices at ICU admission, median (IQR) | ||||
| Blood routine | ||||
| White blood cells, × 109/L | 3.5–9.5 | 14.2 (9.8–19.0) | 9.2 (6.2–13.0) | ＜0.001 |
| Neutrophils, × 109/L | 1.8–6.3 | 12.7 (8.8–17.7) | 8.3 (5.3–11.4) | ＜0.001 |
| Lymphocytes, × 109/L | 1.1–3.2 | 0.5 (0.3–0.7) | 0.6 (0.4–0.9) | 0.007 |
| Hemoglobin, g/L | 130–175 | 128 (115–140) | 129 (116–140) | 0.756 |
| Platelets, × 109/L | 125–350 | 116 (71–172) | 176 (133–24) | ＜0.001 |
| Coagulation function | ||||
| Prothrombin time, s | 12–15 | 17 (15–18) | 15 (14–17) | ＜0.001 |
| Activated partial thromboplastin time, s | 29–42 | 38 (35–43) | 38 (35–41) | 0.184 |
| D-dimer, μg/mL | ＜0.5 | 21 (5–21) | 7 (2–21) | 0.008 |
| Blood biochemistry | ||||
| Aspartate aminotransferase, U/L | ≤40 | 36 (25–63) | 31 (22–56) | 0.349 |
| Alanine transaminase, U/L | ≤41 | 28 (18–46) | 33 (22–49) | 0.196 |
| Total bilirubin, μmol/L | ≤26 | 15 (10–23) | 12 (8–16) | 0.002 |
| Albumin, g/L | 35–52 | 29 (25–32) | 30 (28–32) | 0.107 |
| Prealbumin, mg/L | 200–400 | 82 (80–122) | 95 (80–128) | 0.281 |
| Lactate dehydrogenase, U/L | 135–225 | 593 (405–835) | 495 (362–655) | 0.063 |
| Creatine kinase, U/L | ≤190 | 144 (73–342) | 143 (54–205) | 0.019 |
| Urea, mmol/L | 4–10 | 11 (8–18) | 7 (5–9) | ＜0.001 |
| Creatinine, μmol/L | 59–104 | 90 (65–144) | 67 (54–85) | ＜0.001 |
| High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I, pg/mL | ≤34 | 89 (25–619) | 14 (5–45) | ＜0.001 |
| N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide, pg/mL | ＜161 | 1235 (680–3717) | 376 (153–1445) | ＜0.001 |
| High-sensitivity C-reactive protein, mg/L | ＜1 | 118 (61–155) | 70 (43–127) | 0.005 |
| Procalcitonin, ng/mL | 0.02–0.05 | 0.26 (0.20–0.87) | 0.24 (0.13–0.28) | 0.001 |
| Arterial blood gas | ||||
| pH | 7.35–7.45 | 7.38 (7.29–7.45) | 7.42 (7.36–7.47) | 0.009 |
| PaO2, mmHg | 80–100 | 58 (52–81) | 68 (55–79) | 0.161 |
| PaCO2, mmHg | 35–45 | 42 (33–51) | 38 (34–43) | 0.139 |
| Time from disease onset to ICU admission, median (IQR), days | 14 (10–19) | 14 (10–16) | 0.263 | |
| GCS score, median (IQR), points | 12 (7–14) | 15 (14–15) | ＜0.001 | |
| APACHE II score, median (IQR), points | 21 (18–24) | 13 (9–16) | ＜0.001 | |
| SOFA score, median (IQR), points | 9 (7–11) | 4 (3–5) | ＜0.001 | |
| Complications during ICU stay | ||||
| ARDS | 81 (98) | 38 (72) | ＜0.001 | |
| Acute myocardial injury | 54 (65) | 20 (38) | 0.002 | |
| Acute liver dysfunction | 25 (30) | 15 (28) | 0.820 | |
| Acute kidney injury | 38 (46) | 18 (34) | 0.172 | |
| Secondary infection | 62 (75) | 26 (49) | 0.002 | |
| Shock | 65 (78) | 26 (49) | ＜0.001 | |
| Embolization/Thrombosis | 3 (4) | 0 | 0.281 | |
| Pneumothorax | 5 (6) | 2 (4) | 0.856 | |
| Treatments in ICU | ||||
| CRRT | 16 (19) | 13 (25) | 0.466 | |
| Vasopressors | 64 (77) | 26 (49) | 0.001 | |
| Oxygen therapy | ||||
| Nasal cannula | 7 (8) | 19 (36) | ＜0.001 | |
| Face mask with reservoir bag | 12 (15) | 15 (28) | 0.048 | |
| Noninvasive ventilation (bi-level) | 45 (54) | 24 (45) | 0.309 | |
| Invasive mechanical ventilation | 60 (72) | 30 (57) | 0.059 | |
| Prone position | 10 (12) | 10 (19) | 0.273 | |
| ECMO | 5 (6) | 2 (4) | 0.856 | |
| Duration of noninvasive ventilation, median (IQR), days | 1 (0–2) | 0 (0–3) | 0.865 | |
| Duration of mechanical ventilation, median (IQR), days | 5 (0–10) | 4 (0–11) | 0.323 | |
| Outcomes | ||||
| Death at ICU 28-day | 72 (87) | 26 (49) | ＜0.001 | |
Abbreviations: APACHE II, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II; ARDS, acute respiratory distress syndrome; CRRT, continuous renal replacement therapy; ECMO, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; GCS, Glasgow coma scale; ICU, intensive care units; IQR, interquartile range; mNUTRIC, modified Nutrition Risk in the Critically ill; SOFA, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment.