Table 3.
Clinical characteristics, blood gas analysis at presentation and in-hospital treatments in all patients and by gender
| N | All patients (N = 431) | Gender | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female (N = 119) | Male (N = 312) | p | |||
| At entry in emergency room | |||||
| AVPU—no. (%) | 421 | ||||
| A (alert) | 395 (93.8) | 109 (93.2) | 286 (94.1) | 0.39 | |
| V (verbal) | 4 (1.0) | 2 (1.7) | 2 (0.7) | ||
| P (pain) | 4 (1.0) | 2 (1.7) | 2 (0.7) | ||
| U (unresponsive) | 18 (4.3) | 4 (3.4) | 14 (4.6) | ||
| HR, bpm—median [IQR] | 400 | 84 [75–94] | 87 [78–95] | 83 [73–93] | 0.024 |
| SBP, mmHg—median [IQR] | 395 | 126 [112–140] | 126 [113–140] | 126 [110–140] | 0.82 |
| RR, acts/min—median [IQR] | 221 | 20 [16–26] | 20 [16–26] | 20 [16–26] | 0.35 |
| Fever—no. (%) | 405 | 264 (65.2) | 69 (61.1) | 195 (66.8) | 0.28 |
| pH—median [IQR] | 277 | 7.47 [7.44–7.50] | 7.49 [7.44–7.51] | 7.47 [7.44–7.50] | 0.16 |
| PaO2/FiO2—median [IQR] | 295 | 229 [142–278] | 238 [150–281] | 229 [134–273] | 0.28 |
| < 200—no. (%) | 295 | 113 (38.3) | 23 (32.9) | 90 (40.0) | 0.28 |
| PaCO2, mmHg—median [IQR] | 292 | 33.0 [29.7–35.0] | 32.0 [30.0–36.2] | 33.0 [29.0–35.0] | 0.62 |
| HCO3−, mmol/L—median [IQR] | 151 | 24.1 [22.0–26.0] | 25.4 [23.4–27.4] | 24.0 [22.0–25.0] | < 0.001 |
| Lac, mmol/L—median [IQR] | 188 | 1.38 [1.01–1.74] | 1.26 [1.00–1.62] | 1.40 [1.03–1.88] | 0.27 |
| In the first 24 h | |||||
| Oxygen and ventilatory supporta—no. (%) | |||||
| Low flow oxygen nasal cannula | 415 | 111 (26.7) | 40 (34.8) | 71 (23.7) | 0.022 |
| Venturi mask | 415 | 50 (12.0) | 11 (9.6) | 39 (13.0) | 0.34 |
| Non-rebreather mask | 415 | 95 (22.9) | 27 (23.5) | 68 (22.7) | 0.86 |
| CPAP | 415 | 92 (22.2) | 15 (13.0) | 77 (25.7) | 0.006 |
| NIV | 415 | 14 (3.4) | 2 (1.7) | 12 (4.0) | 0.25 |
| ETI | 415 | 12 (2.9) | 4 (3.5) | 8 (2.7) | 0.74 |
| FiO2—median [IQR] | 373 | 60.0 [35.0–70.0] | 50.0 [30.0–70.0] | 60.0 [35.0–70.0] | 0.025 |
| PEEP, cmH2O—median [IQR] | 109 | 15.0 [12.0–16.0] | 15.0 [13.0–15.5] | 15.0 [12.0–16.0] | 0.67 |
| IPAP, cmH2O—median [IQR] | 15 | 20.0 [16.0–24.0] | 21.0 [20.0–22.0] | 20.0 [16.0–24.0] | 0.86 |
| Antiviralb—no. (%) | 399 | 326 (81.7) | 83 (76.9) | 243 (83.5) | 0.13 |
| Hydroxychloroquine—no. (%) | 392 | 305 (77.8) | 81 (76.4) | 224 (78.3) | 0.69 |
| Steroidc—no. (%) | 395 | 39 (9.9) | 6 (5.6) | 33 (11.5) | 0.083 |
| Antibioticsd—no. (%) | 406 | 372 (91.6) | 103 (92.0) | 269 (91.5) | 0.88 |
| IL-6 inhibitorse—no. (%) | 387 | 17 (4.4) | 0 (0.0) | 17 (6.0) | 0.005 |
Data expressed as column percentages. Percentages may not total 100 because of rounding. AVPU = level of consciousness; HR = Heart Rate; RR = Respiratory Rate; SBP = Systolic Blood Pressure; ER = Emergency Room; FiO2 = Fraction of inspired oxygen; PaO2 = Partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood; SaO2 = Oxygen arterial Saturation; PaCO2 = Partial pressure of Carbon Dioxide in arterial blood; HCO3− = Bicarbonate; Lac = Lactate concentration in arterial blood; PEEP = Positive End Expiratory Pressure; IPAP = Inspiratory Positive Airway Pressure (Pressure support + PEEP)
aOxygen and Ventilatory support in the first 24 h by the ER presentation intended as the highest between Low flow oxygen nasal cannula, Venturi mask, Non-rebreather mask (reservoir), Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) with helmet, Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and Endotracheal Intubation (ETI)
bAntiviral therapy intended as at least one of the following: Oseltamivir, Lopinavir/Ritonavir, Remdesivir and Darunavir/Cobicistat
cSteroid therapy intended as Methylprednisolone, Hydrocortisone and Dexamethasone
dAntibiotic Therapy was prescribed at Physician’s discretion and at least one of the following: Ceftriaxone, Cefixime, Azithromycin or Levofloxacin
eIL-6 inhibitors, intended as Tocilizumab or Siltuximab, were prescribed in according to shared local clinical protocol. IQR = Interquartile Range; p values obtained by Chi-square test (or Fisher's exact test when appropriate) for categorical variables and Wilcoxon-Mann–Whitney test for continuous variables