Table 1.
Cohort characteristics at time of ICU-admission and clinical course.
| Parameter | Overall (n = 19) | Favourable (n = 9) | Unfavourable course (n = 10) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median (IQR)/Count (% of group) | p-value | |||
| Age | 70 (58; 78) | 59 (53; 73) | 75 (60; 83) | 0.049 |
| Male sex no. (%) | 17 (89%) | 8 (89%) | 9 (90%) | 0.94 |
| BMI | 26 (24, 32) | 25 (22; 37) | 26 (24; 31) | 0.48 |
| Obesity (BMI ≥ 30) | 6 (32%) | 3 (33%) | 3 (33%) | 0.91 |
| Comorbidity (sum) * | 2 (2; 3) | 2 (2; 4) | 3 (2;3) | 0.54 |
| Pulmonary | 5 (26%) | 2 (22%) | 3 (30%) | 0.78 |
| CVD | 4 (21%) | 0 (0%) | 4 (40%) | 0.16 |
| AF | 5 (26%) | 2 (22%) | 3 (30%) | 0.78 |
| Hypertension | 11 (58%) | 6 (67%) | 5 (50%) | 0.55 |
| History of malignancy | 2 (11%) | 2 (22%) | 0 (0%) | 0.45 |
| History of organ failure / sepsis | 4 (21%) | 2 (22%) | 2 (20%) | 0.97 |
| Diabetes | 5 (26%) | 2 (22%) | 3 (30%) | 0.78 |
| Liver disease | 2 (11%) | 1 (11%) | 1 (10%) | 0.97 |
| Auto-immune/-inflammatory disease ** | 1 (5%) | 1 (11%) | 0 (0%) | 0.72 |
| Neurologic disorder / dementia | 4 (21%) | 2 (22%) | 2 (20%) | 0.97 |
| CKD Stage III-IV | 4 (21%) | 1 (11%) | 3 (30%) | 0.50 |
| Prior Immunosuppression *** | 2 (11%) | 2 (22%) | 0 (0%) | 0.45 |
| SOFA-Score at time of ICU-admission | 5 (3; 7) | 4 (3; 6) | 5.5 (3.5; 8) | 0.34 |
| Clinical course | ||||
| Time of observation | 11 (8; 16) | 11 (8;14) | 12 (8; 16) | 0.55 |
| Time admission to ICU-admission [d] | 3 (0; 4) | 1 (0.5; 7) | 3 (0; 3) | 0.50 |
| Time ICU-admission to intubation [d] | 0 (0; 0) | 0 (0; 0.8) | 0 (0; 0) | 0.67 |
| Days of mechanical ventilation | 11 (8; 16) | 8.5 (8; 14) | 15 (8; 17) | 0.42 |
| N requiring intubation | 17 (89%) | 7 (78%) | 10 (100%) | 0.13 |
| Horovitz index (worst) mmHg | 180 (100; 200) | 200 (165; 200) | 150 (74; 200) | 0.04 |
| Bilirubin [mg/dl] – max | 0.8 (0.7; 1.8) | 0.8 (0.7; 1.5) | 1 (0.6, 6.2) | 0.14 |
| Creatinine [mg/dl] – max | 1.6 (1.3; 2.2) | 1.4 (1.3; 1.9) | 1.9 (1.4; 3.9) | 0.12 |
| AST [U/l] – max | 130 (69; 248) | 108 (65; 222) | 130 (71; 284) | 0.37 |
| Noradrenalin initial.[µg/h] | 600 (0; 2000) | 600 (200; 1100) | 1150 (0; 2000) | 0.77 |
| Noradrenalin max.[µg/h] | 700 (250; 2000) | 600 (325; 1100) | 1250 (0; 2000) | 0.62 |
| Concomitant organ failure | ||||
| AKI | 9 (47%) | 2 (22%) | 7 (70%) | 0.04 |
| Liver failure | 6 (32%) | 0 (0%) | 6 (60%) | 0.01 |
| De novo seizure | 2 (11%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (20%) | 0.17 |
| Organ support (SLED/ADVOS/ECMO) | 7 (37%) | 1 (11%) | 6 (60%) | 0.03 |
| Deceased patients | 3 (16%) | n.a | 3 (30%) | n.a |
(Sub)groups: “Overall”, “favourable” versus “unfavourable” clinical group. Statistical comparisons were done using ANOVA-, Mann–Whitney- and Kruskal–Wallis-test as appropriate comparing “favourable” versus “unfavourable” clinical groups. *Comorbidities were defined as follows: Pulmonary disease: Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or fibrotic lung disease; Cardiovascular disease (CVD): Pulmonary artery embolism, peripheral arterial occlusive disease, history of lung oedema; Atrial fibrillation (AF); Liver disease: history of gastrointestinal bleeding, liver-cirrhosis or pancreatitis;** Ulcerative colitis; ***prior immunosuppression included recent history of stem-cell transplantation, intake of cyclosporine and low dose steroids. Abbreviation: Advanced organ support (ADVOS), acute kidney injury – transient / requiring dialysis (AKI), Aspartate-aminotransferase (AST), chronic kidney disease (CKD), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), not applicable (n.a.), sustained low efficiency dialysis (SLED), Sepsis-related organ failure assessment score (SOFA).