Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients with suspected sepsis
| Characteristic | All (1622) | Dead (457) | Alive (1165) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 72.6 ± 15.4 | 74.4 ± 15.1 | 71.9 ± 15.5 | 0.004 |
| Sex (female) | 829 (51.1) | 233 (51.0) | 596 (51.2) | 0.95 |
| Underlying disease | ||||
| Diabetes mellitus | 513 (31.6) | 144 (31.5) | 369 (31.7) | 0.50 |
| Hypertension | 888 (54.7) | 236 (51.6) | 652 (56.0) | 0.07 |
| Hyperlipidaemia | 525 (32.4) | 160 (35.0) | 365 (31.3) | 0.09 |
| CKD or ESRD | 294 (18.1) | 82 (17.9) | 212 (18.2) | 0.48 |
| Coronary artery disease | 206 (12.7) | 51 (11.2) | 155 (13.3) | 0.14 |
| Neuro-debilitating diseases | 401 (24.7) | 111 (24.2) | 290 (24.8) | 0.40 |
| Cancer | 404 (24.9) | 164 (35.9) | 240 (20.6) | < 0.001 |
| Recent admission< 3 months | 729 (44.9) | 245 (53.6) | 484 (41.5) | < 0.001 |
| Infection site | ||||
| Respiratory tract | 982 (60.5) | 294 (64.3) | 688 (59.1) | 0.04 |
| Urinary tract | 198 (12.2) | 44 (9.6) | 154 (13.2) | |
| Other known sites | 139 (8.6) | 26 (5.7) | 113 (9.7) | |
| Unknown | 303 (18.7) | 93 (20.4) | 210 (18.0) | |
| Type of infection | ||||
| Community-acquired | 830 (51.2) | 202 (44.2) | 628 (53.9) | < 0.001 |
| Healthcare-associated | 89 (5.5) | 18 (3.9) | 71 (6.1) | |
| Hospital-associated | 703 (43.3) | 237 (51.9) | 466 (40.0) | |
| Vital signs and mental status at time of sepsis suspicion | ||||
| Body temperature (°C) | 37.8 ± 8.4 | 38.1 + 3.7 | 37.6 + 3.7 | 0.40 |
| Respiratory rate (breaths/min) | 31.1 ± 8.6 | 32 + 8.1 | 30.8 + 8.7 | 0.01 |
| Pulse rate (beats/min) | 102.6 ± 38.4 | 102.9 + 27.4 | 102.5 + 42 | 0.80 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 125.4 ± 37.3 | 121 + 43.5 | 127.6 + 34.3 | 0.01 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 71.3 ± 26.7 | 69.1 + 19.3 | 72.1 + 19.4 | 0.016 |
| Mean arterial pressure (mmHg) | 89.3 ± 26.2 | 86.4 + 23.8 | 90.4 + 26.9 | 0.004 |
| Oxygen saturation (%) | 91.9 ± 8.7 | 89.9 + 10.2 | 92.7 + 7.8 | < 0.001 |
| Glasgow coma scale score | 12.5 ± 2.5 | 11.2 ± 2.9 | 13.0 ± 2.0 | < 0.001 |
| Early warning scores at time of sepsis suspicion | ||||
| SIRS | 2.40 ± 0.97 | 2.47 ± 0.90 | 2.37 ± 0.99 | 0.08 |
| qSOFA | 1.38 ± 0.65 | 1.52 ± 0.70 | 1.32 ± 0.62 | < 0.0001 |
| NEWS | 8.05 ± 3.30 | 8.90 ± 3.37 | 7.71 ± 3.21 | < 0.0001 |
| REMS | 9.08 ± 3.12 | 10.06 ± 3.12 | 8.70 ± 3.00 | < 0.0001 |
| Laboratory results | ||||
| White blood cells count (cells/mm3) | 12,822.5 ± 9514.8 | 13,474.1 ± 9755.8 | 12,566.9 ± 9410.5 | 0.08 |
| Band form (%) | 2.5 ± 1.0 | 3.9 ± 1.6 | 1.9 ± 0.6 | < 0.001 |
| Hemoculture positive | 276 (17.0) | 100 (21.9) | 176 (15.1) | 0.001 |
| ED management | ||||
| Inotropic drugs | 340 (21.0) | 153 (33.5) | 187 (16.1) | < 0.001 |
| Outcome | ||||
| Length of hospital stay (days) | 6 (3,12) | 5 (2,12) | 7 (3,12) | 0.38 |
| ED disposition | ||||
| ICU admission | 82 (51.0) | 38 (8.3) | 44 (3.8) | < 0.001 |
Data presented as n (%), mean ± SD or median (IQR)
Abbreviations: CKD chronic kidney disease, ESRD end-stage renal disease, SIRS systemic inflammatory response syndrome, qSOFA quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, NEWS National Early Warning Score, REMS Rapid Emergency Medicine Score, ICU intensive care unit