Table 1.
Comparability of study groups.
| Variables | Intervention group 24 patients |
Control group 22 patients |
|---|---|---|
| Gender: % male/%female | 54/46 | 59/41 |
| Age: mean (SD) years | 58 (19) | 61 (11) |
| Chronic pulmonary pathology (%): | 33 | 14 |
| Charlson comorbidity index: | ||
| Mean (SD) | 2.5 (3) | 4 (3.5) |
| Median (P25–75) | 1 (1–3) | 3 (1–7) |
| Admission diagnosis group (%): | ||
| • Medical | 79 | 91 |
| • Surgical | 17 | 4.5 |
| • Mixed | 4 | 4.5 |
| Respiratory insufficiency diagnosis (%): | ||
| • Cardiac | 8 | 23 |
| • Respiratory | 75 | 54 |
| • Mixed | 17 | 23 |
| Community-acquired pneumonia (%) | 33 | 27 |
| Hospital-acquired pneumonia (%) | 29 | 23 |
| Adult respiratory distress (%) | 12.5 | 9 |
| Pulmonary embolism (%) | 4 | 0 |
| Other diagnoses (%) | 33 | 41 |
| Bilateral pathology (%) | 79 | 82 |
| Radiographic pattern (%): | ||
| • Diffuse alveolar | 25 | 41 |
| • Pulmonary consolidation | 25 | 23 |
| • Interstitial | 29 | 18 |
| • Atelectasis | 18 | 0 |
| • Other | 4 | 18 |
| Number of pulmonary affected quadrants in chest x-ray (%): | ||
| • At baseline: | ||
| ° 1 | 8 | 9 |
| ° 2 | 50 | 36 |
| ° 3 | 12.5 | 9 |
| ° 4 | 29 | 45.5 |
| • Intubation | ||
| ° 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ° 2 | 0 | 14 |
| ° 3 | 0 | 14 |
| ° 4 | 100 | 71 |
| • Worst time of evolution | ||
| ° 1 | 4 | 9 |
| ° 2 | 33 | 27 |
| ° 3 | 12.5 | 9 |
| ° 4 | 50 | 54.5 |
| APACHE II Score: | ||
| Mean (SD) | 17 (6) | 21 (6) |
| Median (P25–75) | 17 (13–21) | 22 (15–26) |
| Organ failure (%): | ||
| • At baseline | ||
| ° 0 | 33 | 27 |
| ° 1 | 29 | 27 |
| ° 2 | 25 | 23 |
| ° 3 | 8 | 14 |
| ° 4 | 4 | 9 |
| • Intubation | ||
| ° 0 | 25 | 21 |
| ° 1 | 25 | 14 |
| ° 2 | 12.5 | 29 |
| ° 3 | 0 | 21 |
| ° 4 | 37.5 | 37.5 |
| • Worst evolution moment | ||
| ° 0 | 21 | 18 |
| ° 1 | 29 | 27 |
| ° 2 | 21 | 14 |
| ° 3 | 17 | 23 |
| ° 4 | 8 | 14 |
| ° 5 | 4 | 4.5 |
| Dyspnea scale at baseline (0–10; 10 worst) | ||
| Mean (SD) | 4.2 (2.9) | 5.6 (2.7) |
| Median (P25–75) | 3.5 (2–7) | 6 (4–7.5) |
| Comfort scale at baseline (0–10; 10 worst) | ||
| Mean (SD) | 5.3 (3.6) | 5,5 (2.6) |
| Median (P25–75) | 5 (2–8.8) | 6 (4.5–7) |
| Respiratory rate at baseline (breaths/min) at baseline | ||
| Mean (SD) | 30.5 (7) | 33 (8) |
| Cardiac frequency at baseline (beats/min) at baseline | ||
| Mean (SD) | 103 (17) | 97 (21) |
| Mean blood pressure at baseline (mmHg) at baseline | ||
| Mean (SD) | 90 (13) | 91 (21) |
| Oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry at baseline. | ||
| Mean (SD) | 94 (3) | 93 (3) |
| Estimated PaO2/FiO2 at baseline. Mean (SD) | 96 (29) | 95 (37) |
| pH at baseline. Mean (SD) | 7.40 (0.07) | 7.40 (0.09) |
| pCO2 at baseline. Mean (SD) | 34.8 (6.0) | 33.8 (7.0) |
| HCO3 at baseline. Mean (SD) | 22.5 (3.1) | 21.8 (3.1) |
min, minutes; (P25–75), 25th–75th Percentile; SD, standard deviation.