Table 1.
Base characteristics of the patient cohort recruited pre-pandemic vs. the patient cohort recruited during the pandemic. A value for p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant
| Pre-Pandemic | Pandemic | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n | 258 | 42 | |
| Male gender n (%) | 159 (62%) | 26 (62%) | p = 1.000 |
| Age mean in years (+/− SD) | 64 (14) | 65 (16) | p = 0.627 |
| Initial SOFA score (median [IQR]) | 8 [5–11] | 10 [8–13] | p < 0.001 |
| SAPS-II at ICU admission (median [IQR] | 38 [28–48] | 39 [28–50] | p = 0.242 |
| Mechanical ventilation n/m (%) | 175/203 (86%) | 32/33 (97%) | p = 0.081 |
| Focus of infection n/m (%) | |||
| - Central Nervous System | 3/215 (1%) | 2/33 (6%) | p = 0.076 |
| - Lower Respiratory Tract | 101/215 (47%) | 15/33 (45%) | p = 0.684 |
| - Skin & Soft Tissue | 14/215 (7%) | 0/33 (0%) | n.a. |
| - Genitourinary | 17/215 (8%) | 2/33 (6%) | p = 0.710 |
| - Cardiovascular | 11/215 (5%) | 2/33 (6%) | p = 0.821 |
| - Intra-abdominal | 58/215 (27%) | 10/33 (30%) | p = 0.690 |
| - Musculoscetal | 11/215 (5%) | 2/33 (6%) | p = 0.821 |
| ICU length of stay, days (median [IQR]) | 7.7 [1.7–13.7] | 10.8 [0.3–21.3] | p = 0.433 |
| 30-day mortality n (%) | 86 (33%) | 22 (52%) | p = 0.004 |
| Cytokine Concentration mean in pg/mL in Serum at enrollment (+/− SD) | |||
| TNF-α | 18 (100) | 4 (5) | p = 0.003 |
| IL-6 | 958 (2078) | 2015 (2987) | p = 0.225 |
| IL-10 | 69 (237) | 62 (225) | p = 0.056 |
| IL-1b | 4 (25) | 12 (13) | p = 0.022 |