TABLE 3.
Characteristics of the ICU Stay During the First and Second Waves of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic
| Variables | First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic | Number of Patients | Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic | Number of Patients | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitalization LOS (d) | 8 (5–15) | 341 | 8 (5–13) | 662 | 0.030 |
| Hospitalization LOS, ICU patients (d) | 22 (11–39) | 87 | 13 (9–23) | 128 | 0.0028 |
| 30-d ICU mortality | 25 (29%) | 87 | 31 (24%) | 128 | 0.61 |
| LOS in ICU (d) | 13.8 (5.1–26.8) | 87 | 6.3 (2.8–11.0) | 128 | <0.0001 |
| ICU-free days on day 28 | 0 (0–14) | 87 | 17.5 (0.0–23.0) | 128 | <0.0001 |
| MV | 69 (79%) | 87 | 56 (44%) | 128 | <0.001 |
| MV (d) | 17 (10–26) | 69 | 10.0 (5.0–17.5) | 56 | 0.010 |
| MV-free days on day 28 | 1 (0–12) | 69 | 0.5 (0.0–19.0) | 56 | 0.32 |
| Prone position (number of patients) | 55 (63%) | 87 | 57 (45%) | 128 | 0.007 |
| Prone position (d) | 3 (0–6) | 87 | 0 (0–3) | 128 | 0.0018 |
| HFNO in ICU | 16 (18%) | 87 | 102 (80%) | 128 | <0.0001 |
| HFNO in ICU (d) | 2 (1–2) | 5 | 5 (3–7) | 59 | 0.0027 |
| Delay between MV and ICU admission (d) | 0.08 (0.02–0.78) | 69 | 1.12 (0.04–3.05) | 56 | 0.0019 |
| Renal replacement therapy | 16 (18.4%) | 87 | 8 (6.3%) | 128 | 0.0055 |
| Norepinephrine use | 64 (73.6%) | 87 | 51 (39.8%) | 128 | <0.0001 |
| Enoxaparin use | 83 (95.4%) | 87 | 117 (91.4%) | 128 | 0.26 |
| Enoxaparin daily dose (mg) | 70 (51–87) | 87 | 76 (60–96) | 128 | 0.082 |
| Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation | 2 (2.3%) | 87 | 3 (2.3) | 125 | 0.98 |
| Antibiotic use | 78 (89.7%) | 87 | 85 (66.4%) | 128 | <0.0001 |
| C-reactive protein (mg/L) (max) | 284.8 (193–354) | 87 | 183.2 (109–269) | 128 | <0.0001 |
| d-dimer (ng/mL) (max) | 1,768 (967–4,262) | 78 | 1,916.0 (1,172–4,689) | 124 | 0.24 |
| Platelet count (103/mm3) (minimum values observed during the first 7 d in ICU) | 167 (131–208) | 87 | 185 (136–238) | 128 | 0.16 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) (max) | 1.46 (1.01–2.36) | 87 | 1.14 (0.89–1.75) | 128 | 0.0053 |
| Bilirubine (mg/dL) (max) | 1.16 (0.75–1.90) | 87 | 0.85 (0.68–1.20) | 128 | 0.0007 |
COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019, HFNO = high-flow nasal oxygen, LOS = length of stay, max = maximum values observed during the first 7 d in ICU, MV = mechanical ventilation.
Quantitative variables are reported as median (Q1–Q3) and categorical variables as number (%). Kruskal-Wallis and Fisher exact tests are used as appropriate.