Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the matched sample of adult patients with COVID-19 related acute respiratory failure
| Covariate | Early intubation (N = 61) | HFNO (N = 61) | SMD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic characteristics | |||
| Age, years—mean (SD) | 61 (11) | 62 (11) | 0.06 |
| Female gender, n (%) | 36 (48) | 27 (40) | 0.14 |
| BMI, kg/m2 – mean (SD) | 28.8 (4.3) | 28.8 (5.5) | 0.01 |
| Time to ICU admission, days – median [IQR] | 2 [1–4] | 2 [1–4] | 0.11 |
| Baseline comorbid disease | |||
| Number of comorbidities – median [IQR] | 1 [0–1] | 1 [0–2] | 0.00 |
| Immunosupression, (n, %) | 2 (3.3) | 4 (6.6) | 0.15 |
| Active cancer, (n, %) | 0 (0) | 6 (9.8) | 0.47 |
| Initial severity of disease | |||
| SOFA score—median [IQR] | 5 [3–7] | 4 [4–7] | 0.00 |
| Glasgow coma score—median [IQR] | 15 [15] | 15 [15] | 0.41 |
| APACHE II score—median [IQR] | 11 [9–14] | 10 [9–113] | 0.11 |
| PaO2:FiO2 ratio—mean (SD) | 117 (51) | 121 (49) | 0.09 |
| Respiratory rate, rpm—mean (SD) | 25 (5) | 25 (5) | 0.04 |
| Oxygen saturation, %—mean (SD) | 88 (7) | 89 (6) | 0.09 |
| ROX index—median [IQR] | 4.4 [3.4–6.4] | 5 [4–6.2] | 0.25 |
| PaCO2, mmHg—mean (SD) | 37 (8) | 38 (12) | 0.02 |
| Gas flow, L/min—mean (SD) | – | 55 (12) | – |
| FiO2, %—mean (SD) | 79 (18) | 72 (16) | 0.45 |
| Heart rate (bpm)—mean (SD) | 81 (18) | 82 (15) | 0.03 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg)—mean (SD) | 128 (21) | 124 (18) | 0.21 |
| Use of steroids, n (%) | 47 (77) | 45 (73.8) | 0.08 |
| Laboratory values | |||
| pH—mean (SD) | 7.4 (0.1) | 7.44 (0.06) | 0.66 |
| Creatinine, mg/dL—mean (SD) | 1.0 (0.8) | 1.0 (0.7) | 0.01 |
| Bilirrubin, mg/dL—mean (SD) | 0.7 (0.5) | 0.7 (0.3) | 0.01 |
| Lactate, mmol/L—mean (SD) | 0.3 (0.6) | 0.4 (0.7) | 0.13 |
| D-dimer, U/L—mean (SD) | 4025 (11,944) | 2235 (4724) | 0.19 |
| Leucocyte count, 10^9/L—mean (SD) | 8.1 (3.6) | 8.3 (4.8) | 0.04 |
| Lymphocyte count, 10^9/L—mean (SD) | 0.7 (1.0) | 0.7 (0.5) | 0.09 |
| Platelet count, 10^12/L—mean (SD) | 223 (88) | 241 (126) | 0.16 |
HFNO: high-flow nasal oxygen; IQR: interquartile range; SD: standard deviation; SMD: standardized mean difference; PaCO2: arterial pressure of carbon dioxide; FiO2: inspired oxygen fraction; ROX: ratio of oxygen saturation to FiO2, divided by respiratory rate: (Saturation/FiO2)/Respiratory rate. APACHE: Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation; SOFA: Sequential Organ Failure Assessment