Table 3.
Treatments on Admission and Concurrent Medications (Frequent Exacerbator Group vs Non-Frequent Exacerbator Group)
| Characteristics | Frequent Exacerbator Group (N=226) | Non-Frequent Exacerbator Group (N=391) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infection status | |||
| CXR new patches | 34 (15.04) | 63 (16.11) | 0.725 |
| Fever | 25 (11.06) | 47 (12.02) | 0.721 |
| Major treatment | 0.005* | ||
| None | 8 (3.54) (3.57*) | 8 (2.05) (2.07*) | |
| Steroid only | 13 (5.75) (5.80*) | 30 (7.67) (7.77*) | |
| Antibiotics only | 41 (18.14) (18.30*) | 116 (29.67) (30.05*) | |
| Antibiotics+steroid | 162 (71.68) (72.32*) | 232 (59.34) (60.10*) | |
| Missing | 2 (0.88) | 5 (1.28) | |
| ICU admission | 30 (13.27) | 30 (7.67) | 0.024 |
| Intubation | 12 (5.31) | 15 (3.84) | 0.389 |
| BiPAP use | 20 (8.85) | 24 (6.14) | 0.207 |
| RCC admission | 0 (0) | 2 (0.51) | 0.535 |
| COPD concurrent medications prior to the IH | <0.001 | ||
| None | 80 (35.4) | 193 (49.36) | |
| LAMA or LABA | 11 (4.87) | 27 (6.91) | |
| LAMA+LABA | 17 (7.52) | 33 (8.44) | |
| ICS+LABA | 42 (18.58) | 64 (16.37) | |
| LAMA+LABA+ICS | 76 (33.63) | 74 (18.93) | |
| COPD concurrent medications following the IH | 0.002 | ||
| None | 45 (19.91) | 115 (29.41) | |
| LAMA or LABA | 10 (4.42) | 33 (8.44) | |
| LAMA+LABA | 32 (14.16) | 68 (17.39) | |
| ICS+LABA | 44 (19.47) | 62 (15.86) | |
| LAMA+LABA+ICS | 95 (42.04) | 113 (28.90) | |
| Length of stay, day | 9.46±7.93 | 8.14±8.42 | 0.055 |
Notes: Data are presented as mean±SD or n (%). The significant P value is shown in bold. *Among patients with available data.
Abbreviations: BiPAP, bilevel positive airway pressure; CXR, Chest X ray; ICS, inhaled corticosteroids; ICU, intensive care unit; IH, index hospitalization; LABA, long-acting beta agonist; LAMA, long-acting muscarinic antagonist; RCC, respiratory care center.