Table 3.
ICU outcomes, complications, interventions of patients by presence of feeding intolerance.a
| Feeding intolerance (N = 180) |
No feeding intolerance (N = 143) |
p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outcomes | |||
| Length of ICU admission, median (IQR), days | 21.5 (14–30) | 15 (9–22) | <0.001 |
| ICU readmissionb | 13 (7.2) | 8 (5.6) | 0.65 |
| Length of overall hospitalization, median (IQR), days | 30.5 (19–42) | 24 (15–35) | <0.001 |
| Died | 61 (33.9) | 23 (16.1) | <0.001 |
| COVID-19 associated complications | |||
| Myocardial injury | 86 (47.8) | 19 (13.3) | <0.001 |
| VF/VT | 13 (7.2) | 25 (17.5) | <0.01 |
| AKI | 143 (79.4) | 83 (58.0) | <0.001 |
| Kidney failure requiring RRT | 63 (35.0) | 21 (14.7) | <0.001 |
| Acute liver injury | 96 (53.3) | 31 (21.7) | <0.001 |
| Septic shock | 120 (66.7) | 92 (64.3) | 0.72 |
| Coagulopathy or hypercoagulable state | 91 (50.6) | 37 (25.9) | <0.001 |
| GI complications | |||
| Mesenteric ischemia | 4 (2.2) | 1 (0.7) | 0.39 |
| Ischemic colitis | 9 (5.0) | 0 (0) | <0.01 |
| C. diff infection | 6 (3.3) | 2 (1.4) | 0.31 |
| Need for operative exploration/surgery | 10 (5.6) | 6 (4.2) | 0.62 |
| Need for GI tract resection | 9 (5.0) | 4 (2.8) | 0.40 |
| ICU interventions | |||
| Mechanical ventilation | 179 (99.4) | 142 (99.3) | 1 |
| Length of intubation, median (IQR), daysc | 19 (13.5–28.0) | 13 (7.5–18.8) | <0.001 |
| Tracheostomy | 71 (39.4) | 41 (28.7) | 0.05 |
| ECMO | 12 (6.7) | 6 (4.2) | 0.46 |
| Proning | 150 (83.3) | 91 (63.6) | <0.001 |
Abbreviations: ICU, intensive care unit; IQR, interquartile range; VF/VT, ventricular fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia; AKI, acute kidney injury; RRT, renal replacement therapy; ECMO, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
a
Data are shown as number (percentage) unless otherwise noted. Percentages are rounded.
b
Defined as the number of patients who were re-admitted to the ICU during the same or a subsequent hospitalization within the study period.
c
There was 1 patient from the feeding intolerance group and 1 patient from the no feeding intolerance group who were not intubated and who were not included in this analysis.