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. 2021 Aug 18:1–7. doi: 10.1080/17476348.2021.1960824

Table 1.

Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, respiratory support data, therapeutic approaches, and short-term clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in an intermediate Respiratory Intensive Care Unit (RICU) subdivided in two groups according the two different waves of the pandemic in Italy, i.e., First Wave Group (FWG) from 11 March 2020 to 31 May 2020 and Second Wave Group (SWG) from 28 August 2020 to 15 October 2020

  FWG
N. 97		 SWG
N. 52		 P-value
Age (years, mean ± SD)

  • Males

  • Females

 69.65 ± 14
67.64 ± 14
74.70 ± 12.2		 64.23 ± 12.04
63.84 ± 11.15
65.29 ± 14.6		 P = 0.02†
P = 0.15†
P = 0.03†
Sex (M/F, %) 72%/28% (70/97) 73%/27% (38/52) P > 0.9‡
Smoking habits (%)

  • Non-.smokers (or ex-smokers from 15 years)Current smokers

 96% (93/97)
4%		 94.3% (49/52)
5.7%		 P = 0.69‡
Symptoms

  • Dyspnea

  • Early dyspnea

  • Fever

  • Cough

  • Diarrhea

  • Dysgeusia/Ageusia

 80.4% (78/97)
65.38 (51/78)
70% (68/97)
25.74% (25/97)
4% (4/97)
13.4% (13/97)		 73% (38/52)
36.8% (14/38)
63.4% (33/52)
28.8% (15/52)
7.7% (4/52)
1.9% (1/52)		 P = 0.31‡
P = 0.031‡
P = 0.46‡
P = 0.7‡
P = 0.45‡
P = 0.035‡
Patients with at least 1 chronic condition (%)

  • Hypertension

  • Chronic heart failure

  • Atrial fibrillation

  • Diabetes mellitus type II

  • COPD

  • Asthma

  • Chronic kidney failure

  • Cerebrovascular disease

  • Neurological disease

  • Cancer


Patients with 2 chronic conditions (%)
Patients with 3 or more chronic conditions (%)		 91% (89/97)
64.5% (63/97)
16.5% (16/97)
13.4% (13/97)
30.5% (30/97)
17.5% (17/97)
3% (3/97)
44.3% (43/97)
16.5% (16/97)
18.5 (18/97)
14.4% (14/97)
60% (59/97)
47.4% (46/97)
71.1% (37/52)
5.7% (3/52)
0%
51.9% (27/52)
26.9% (14/52)
7.7% (4/52)
5.7% (3/52)
9.6% (5/52)
3.8% (2/52)
3.8% (2/52)
11.5% (6/52)
36.5% (19/52)
13.4 (7/52)
P = 0.0016‡
P < 0.0001‡
P = 0.0013‡
P < 0.0001‡
P = 0.70‡
P = 0.14‡
P = 0.42‡
P < 0.0001‡
P = 0.03‡
P = 0.01‡
P = 0.8‡
P = 0.0059‡
P < 0.0001‡
Home drug treatments (%)

  • ACE inhibitors

 26.8% (26/97) 5.7% (30/52) P = 0.0003‡
LDH at admission (mean ± SD, mU/mL)
CRP at admission (mean ± SD, mg/L)
D-dimer at admission (mean ± SD, ng/mL)
Patients with D-dimer >3000 ng/mL at admission (%)
25-hydroxyvitamin D (mean ± SD, ng/mL)		 335.5 ± 112.5
99.6 ± 81.04
2347 ± 3600
19.6% (19/97)
18.64 ± 12.08		 331.8 ± 102.1
80.86 ± 62.42
1103 ± 1265
5.7% (3/52)
35.62 ± 17.38		 P = 0.8†
P = 0.14†
P = 0.017†
P = 0.028‡
P = 0.0002†
Mean PaO2/FiO2 admission (mean ± SD)
Mean PaO2/FiO2 discharged (mean ± SD)		 186 ± 80
202.1 ± 105.7		 172.7 ± 70.53
202.6 ± 92.14		 P = 0.29†
P = 0.97†
Drug treatments

  • Anticoagulant therapy (%)

  • Enoxaparin (prophylactic dose) (%)

  • Enoxaparin (therapeutic dose) (%)

  • Antibiotic therapy

  • Azythromycin (%)

  • Lopinavir/ritonavir (%s)

  • Hydroxychloroquine (%)

  • Tocilizumab (%)

  • Corticosteroids (%)

 83% (80/97)
22.5% (18/97)
77.5% (75/97)
81% (79/97)
67% (65/97)
36% (35/97)
73% (71/97)
6% (6/97)
26% (25/97)		 98% (51/52)
48% (25/52)
52% (27/52)
90% (47/52)
63.5% (33/52)
0%
0%
0%
86.5% (45/52)		 P = 0.0037‡
P = 0.0003‡
P = 0.0028‡
P = 0.23‡
P = 0.72‡
P < 0.0001‡
P < 0.0001‡
P = 0.09‡
P < 0.0001‡
Noninvasive respiratory support (%)

  • LFOT

  • HFOT

  • CPAP

  • BPAP

 11% (11/97)
3% (3/97)
40% (39/97)
38% (37/97)		 19.2% (10/52)
19.2% (10/52)
50% (26/52)
11.6% (6/52)		 P = 0.219‡
P = 0.0016‡
P = 0.29‡
P = 0.0006‡
Discharged (%)

  • Lower intensity care (GW)

  • ICU

 51% (49/97)
30% (29/97)		 77% (40/52)
22.98% (11/52)		 P = 0.0017‡
P = 0.33‡
Died (total)
Died in intermediate RICU (%)		 43.3% (42/97)
19% (19/97)		 11.5% (6/52)
0.02% (1/52)		 P < 0.0001‡
P = 0.0019‡

† t-test for two independent samples

‡ Pearson’s chi-squared or Fisher’s exact test

§ Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney U Test

Abbreviations: SD: standard deviation; COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; ACE: angiotensin-converting enzyme; LDH: lactate dehydrogenase; CRP: C-reactive protein; PaO2/FiO2: arterial oxygen partial pressure to fractional inspired oxygen ratio; LFOT: low-flow oxygen therapy; HFOT: high-flow oxygen therapy; CPAP: continuous positive airway pressure; BPAP: bilevel positive airway pressure; GW: general ward; ICU: intensive care unit