Table 2.
Hospital and Treatment Characteristics
| Total Study Population [n (%)] |
Propensity-matched Population [n (%)] |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Population (N = 53,654) | Noninvasive Ventilation (n = 13,540) | No Noninvasive Ventilation (n = 40,114) | Total Population (n = 25,450) | Noninvasive Ventilation (n = 12,725) | No Noninvasive Ventilation (n = 12,725) | |
| Hospital beds | ||||||
| <200 | 12,286 (22.9) | 2,887 (21.3) | 9,399 (23.4) | 5,506 (21.3) | 2,776 (21.4) | 2,730 (21.1) |
| 200–299 | 11,599 (21.6) | 2,849 (21.0) | 8,750 (21.8) | 5,493 (21.2) | 2,749 (21.2) | 2,744 (21.2) |
| 300–499 | 15,593 (29.1) | 4,219 (31.2) | 11,374 (28.4) | 7,977 (30.8) | 3,997 (30.9) | 3,980 (30.8) |
| ≥500 | 14,176 (26.4) | 3,585 (26.5) | 10,591 (26.4) | 6,914 (26.7) | 3,423 (26.4) | 3,491 (27.0) |
| Population served | ||||||
| Urban | 47,765 (89.0) | 12,080 (89.2) | 35,685 (89.0) | 23,130 (89.3) | 11,536 (89.1) | 11,594 (89.5) |
| Rural | 5,889 (11.0) | 1,460 (10.8) | 4,429 (11.0) | 2,760 (10.7) | 1,409 (10.9) | 1,351 (10.4) |
| Teaching status | ||||||
| Teaching | 20,358 (37.9) | 5,255 (38.8) | 15,103 (37.7) | 10,176 (39.3) | 5,044 (39.0) | 5,132 (39.6) |
| Nonteaching | 33,296 (62.1) | 8,285 (61.2) | 25,011 (62.4) | 15,714 (60.7) | 7,901 (61.0) | 7,813 (60.4) |
| Geographic region | ||||||
| Midwest | 11,590 (21.6) | 3,075 (22.7) | 8,515 (21.2) | 5,909 (22.8) | 2,939 (22.7) | 2,970 (22.9) |
| Northeast | 7,747 (14.4) | 1,812 (13.4) | 5,935 (14.8) | 3,537 (13.7) | 1,758 (13.6) | 1,779 (13.7) |
| South | 25,525 (47.1) | 6,145 (45.4) | 19,107 (47.6) | 11,714 (45.3) | 5,904 (45.6) | 5,810 (44.9) |
| West | 9,065 (16.9) | 2,508 (18.5) | 6,557 (16.4) | 4,730 (18.3) | 2,344 (18.1) | 2,386 (18.4) |
| Attending specialty | ||||||
| Critical care | 903 (1.7) | 302 (2.2) | 601 (1.5) | 585 (2.3) | 279 (2.2) | 306 (2.4) |
| Pulmonology | 4,037 (7.5) | 1,058 (7.8) | 2,979 (7.4) | 2,047 (7.9) | 1,016 (7.9) | 1,031 (8.0) |
| Internal medicine | 40,473 (75.4) | 10,122 (74.8) | 30,351 (75.7) | 19,333 (74.7) | 9,679 (74.8) | 9,654 (74.6) |
| Family medicine | 6,300 (11.7) | 1,518 (11.2) | 4,782 (11.9) | 2,864 (11.1) | 1,461 (11.3) | 1,403 (10.8) |
| Other | 1,941 (3.6) | 540 (4.0) | 1,401 (3.5) | 1,615 (4.1) | 510 (3.9) | 551 (4.3) |
| Early tests and treatments | ||||||
| Short-acting bronchodilators | 49,542 (92.3) | 12,740 (94.1) | 36,802 (91.7) | 24,305 (93.9) | 12,158 (93.9) | 12,147 (93.8) |
| Any steroids | 50,850 (94.8) | 13,091 (96.7) | 37,759 (94.1) | 25,000 (96.6) | 12,502 (96.6) | 12,498 (96.6) |
| Intravenous steroids | 49,200 (91.7) | 12,795 (94.5) | 36,405 (90.8) | 24,388 (94.2) | 12,218 (94.4) | 12,170 (94.0) |
| Oral steroids | 10,766 (20.1) | 2,527 (18.7) | 8,239 (20.5) | 4,853 (18.7) | 2,417 (18.7) | 2,436 (18.8) |
| Magnesium | 19,808 (36.9) | 6,058 (44.7) | 13,750 (34.3) | 11,582 (44.7) | 5,719 (44.2) | 5,863 (45.3) |
| Inhaled corticosteroid | 16,376 (30.5) | 4,430 (32.7) | 11,946 (29.8) | 8,323 (32.2) | 4,171 (32.2) | 4,152 (32.1) |
| Long-acting β2-agonist | 10,004 (18.7) | 2,713 (20.0) | 7,291 (18.2) | 5,079 (19.6) | 2,542 (19.6) | 2,537 (19.6) |
| Long-acting antimuscarinic | 3,422 (6.4) | 1,066 (7.9) | 2,365 (5.9) | 1,946 (7.5) | 970 (7.5) | 976 (7.5) |
| Leukotriene modifier | 14,791 (27.6) | 3,934 (29.1) | 10,857 (27.1) | 7,407 (28.6) | 3,705 (28.6) | 3,702 (28.6) |
| Methylxanthine bronchodilator (theophylline or aminophylline) | 2,961 (5.5) | 946 (7.0) | 2,015 (5.0) | 1,737 (6.7) | 866 (6.7) | 871 (6.7) |
| Antibiotics | 40,478 (75.4) | 10,452 (77.2) | 30,026 (74.9) | 19,929 (77.0) | 9,988 (77.2) | 9,941 (76.8) |
| Vasopressors | 2,043 (3.8) | 456 (3.4) | 1,587 (4.0) | 900 (3.5) | 449 (3.5) | 451 (3.5) |
| Opiates | 24,247 (45.2) | 6,363 (47.0) | 17,884 (44.6) | 12,211 (47.2) | 6,092 (47.1) | 6,119 (47.3) |
| Benzodiazepines | 23,326 (43.5) | 6,568 (48.5) | 16,758 (41.8) | 12,699 (49.1) | 6,301 (48.7) | 6,398 (49.4) |
| Sputum testing | 7,724 (14.4) | 1,889 (14.0) | 5,835 (14.6) | 3,765 (14.5) | 1,852 (14.3) | 1,913 (14.8) |
| Spirometry or peak flow | 6,766 (12.6) | 1,538 (11.4) | 5,228 (13.0) | 3,050 (11.8) | 1,507 (11.6) | 1,543 (11.9) |
| Arterial blood gas | 33,156 (61.8) | 11,398 (84.2) | 21,758 (54.2) | 21,755 (84.0) | 10,824 (83.6) | 10,931 (84.4) |