Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the included patients
| Overall (n = 132) | Angiotensin II (n = 65) | Control (n = 67) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 61 (53–67) | 61 (53–68) | 60 (50–66) | 0.411 |
| Female gender—no. (%) | 27 (20.5) | 10 (15.4) | 17 (25.4) | 0.197 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 27.5 (24.8–32.0) | 27.4 (25.4–30.9) | 27.5 (24.7–34.0) | 0.991 |
| Days between hospital and ICU admission | 2 (0–4) | 2 (0–4) | 2 (0–5) | 0.890 |
| SOFA | ||||
| Respiratory | 3 (3–4) | 3 (3–4) | 3 (3–4) | 0.861 |
| Cardiovascular | 3 (0–4) | 3 (0–4) | 3 (0–4) | 0.177 |
| Renal | 0 (0–1) | 0 (0–1) | 0 (0–1) | 0.256 |
| Comorbidities—no. (%) | ||||
| Hypertension | 60 (45.5) | 26 (40.0) | 34 (50.7) | 0.227 |
| Diabetes | 28 (21.2) | 18 (27.7) | 10 (14.9) | 0.090 |
| Chronic respiratory failure | 11/118 (9.3) | 6/60 (10.0) | 5/58 (8.6) | 0.999 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 6/118 (5.1) | 3/59 (5.1) | 3/59 (5.1) | 0.999 |
| Cancer | 6/116 (5.2) | 3/58 (5.2) | 3/58 (5.2) | 0.999 |
| Leukemia | 1/83 (1.2) | 0/41 (0.0) | 1/42 (2.4) | 0.999 |
| Smoking | 6/101 (5.9) | 2/53 (3.8) | 4/48 (8.3) | 0.420 |
| Use of ACE inhibitors | 17/118 (14.4) | 10/62 (16.1) | 7/56 (12.5) | 0.610 |
| Use of ARBs | 15/118 (12.7) | 6/62 (9.7) | 9/56 (16.1) | 0.408 |
| Use of immunosuppression | 1/84 (1.2) | 1/43 (2.3) | 0/41 (0.0) | 0.999 |
| Use of steroids | 3/85 (3.5) | 0/43 (0.0) | 3/42 (7.1) | 0.116 |
| Ventilatory support at ICU admission—no. (%) | 0.088 | |||
| Low‐flow oxygen | 4 (3.0) | 4 (6.2) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Noninvasive ventilation | 2 (1.5) | 1 (1.5) | 1 (1.5) | |
| Invasive ventilation | 126 (95.5) | 60 (92.3) | 66 (98.5) | |
| Vital signs at ICU admission | ||||
| SpO2, % | 93 (86–96) | 91 (85–95) | 94 (88–97) | 0.063 |
| FiO2 | 0.70 (0.60–0.90) | 0.80 (0.60–0.80) | 0.7 (0.6–0.9) | 0.879 |
| Heart rate, bpm | 100 (88–110) | 100 (89–111) | 99 (86–107) | 0.506 |
| Mean arterial pressure, mmHg | 90 (77–99) | 87 (77–99) | 90 (77–98) | 0.960 |
| Respiratory rate, breaths/min | 26 (22–32) | 28 (22–34) | 25 (21–30) | 0.614 |
| Laboratory tests at ICU admission | ||||
| pH | 7.37 (7.30–7.44) | 7.36 (7.29–7.44) | 7.37 (7.31–7.42) | 0.978 |
| PaO2/FiO2 | 108 (76–141) | 107 (76–140) | 110 (76–142) | 0.982 |
| PaCO2, mmHg | 45 (39–53) | 47 (38–53) | 44 (40–53) | 0.878 |
| Lactate, mmol/L | 1.5 (1.1–2.2) | 1.5 (1.2–2.2) | 1.5 (1.1–2.3) | 0.739 |
| Creatinine, mg/dl | 1.04 (0.85–1.33) | 1.10 (0.86–1.40) | 1.01 (0.79–1.30) | 0.390 |
| C‐reactive protein, mg/dl | 119 (29–244) | 123 (25–263) | 119 (43–233) | 0.860 |
| Support at ICU admission | ||||
| Noradrenaline dose, µg/kg/min | 0.19 (0.10–0.22) | 0.20 (0.08–0.30) | 0.15 (0.10–0.20) | 0.207 |
| Use of tocilizumab—no. (%) | 2/123 (1.6) | 2/61 (3.3) | 0/62 (0.0) | 0.244 |
| Use of renal replacement therapy—no. (%) | 1/126 (0.8) | 1/64 (1.6) | 0/62 (0.0) | 0.999 |
| Use of ECMO—no. (%) | 6/127 (4.7) | 3 (4.6) | 3/62 (4.8) | 0.999 |
| Use of prone positioning—no. (%) | 52/125 (41.6) | 29/63 (46.0) | 23/62 (37.1) | 0.366 |
Note: Data are median (Quartile 25th–75th) and N/total (%).
Abbreviations: ACE, angiotensin‐converting enzyme; ARBs, angiotensin II receptor blockers; ECMO, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; ICU, intensive care unit; SOFA, sequential organ failure assessment.