Table 3.
Clinical features and outcomes of the study population divided into tertiles of PEEP level applied during the first 7 days of ICU stay
| Low PEEP | Medium PEEP | High PEEP | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 31 | N = 32 | N = 32 | ||
| Baseline features | ||||
| Age (years) | 60 [53–68] | 61 [51–69] | 61 [53–68] | 0.478 |
| Male sex (n-%) | 20 (65) | 26 (81) | 29 (91) | 0.037 |
| SOFA score |
31/31 8 [5–11] |
32/32 9 [7–11] |
32/32 11 [8–12] |
0.057 |
| Laboratory data | ||||
| PaO2:FiO2 |
31/31 124 [96–156] |
32/32 111[92–148] |
32/32 109 [79–142] |
0.495 |
| FiO2 (%) |
31/31 0.7 [0.6–0.8] |
32/32 0.8 [0.6–0.8] |
32/32 0.8 [0.7–1.0] |
0.028 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) |
29/31 0.8 [0.6–0.9] |
27/32 1.0 [0.7–1.3] |
32/32 1.0 [0.9–1.5] |
0.012 |
| CRP (mg/L) |
23/31 90 [45–172] |
24/32 237 [143–325] |
26/32 215 [109–282] |
0.007 |
| WBC |
26/31 10,895 [5100–14040] |
28/32 8420 [5970–10935] |
28/32 8280 [6515–11345] |
0.641 |
| Ventilatory and diuretic data | ||||
| PEEP (cmH2O) |
31/31 9.6 [8.0–10.5] |
32/32 12.0 [11.2–12.7] |
32/32 14.7 [13.7–16.7] |
< 0.0001 |
| Prone positioning, n (%) | 5 (16) | 8 (25) | 10 (31) | 0.372 |
| Cdyn (mL/cmH2O) |
23/31 26 [22–34] |
26/32 31 [27–35] |
29/32 32 [29–39] |
0.057 |
| Diuretic use, n (%) | 29 (94) | 30 (94) | 29 (91) | 0.999 |
| Diuretic therapy duration (days) |
31/31 6 [3–11] |
32/32 11 [5–13] |
32/32 7 [3–14] |
0.486 |
| Outcomes | ||||
| AKI-Risk, n (%) | 3 (10) | 7 (22) | 4 (13) | |
| AKI-Injury, n (%) | 1 (3) | 4 (13) | 3 (9) | |
| AKI-Failure, n (%) | 4 (13) | 8 (25) | 16 (50) | |
| AKI-Injury + Failure, n (%) | 5 (16) | 12 (38) | 19 (59) | 0.002 |
| CRRT, n (%) | 1 (3) | 6 (19) | 12 (38) | 0.003 |
| ICU mortality, n (%) | 13 (42) | 14 (44) | 22 (69) | 0.057 |
| Hospital mortality, n (%) | 14 (48) | 15 (52) | 22 (71) | 0.157 |
Data represent number of patients and percentage (%) or median [IQR]. p values were calculated by non-parametric ONE-way ANOVA, χ2 test, or Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate. Low-PEEP group: 9.6 [8.0–10.5] cmH2O; medium-PEEP group: 12.0 [11.2–12.7] cmH2O; high-PEEP group 14.7 [13.7–16.7] cmH2O
PEEP positive end expiratory pressure, SOFA sequential organ failure assessment, PaO2 arterial oxygen partial pressure, FiO2 fraction of inspired oxygen, AKI acute kidney injury, CRRT continuous renal replacement therapy