Table 2.
Baseline demographic characteristics
| Early tracheostomy (n = 56) | Late tracheostomy (n = 61) | Total (n = 117) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, median (min–max) | 67 (22–87) | 65 (18–83) | 66 (18–87) |
| Gender, n (%) | |||
| Male | 46 (82) | 44 (72) | 90 (77) |
| Female | 10 (18) | 17 (28) | 27 (23) |
| Cardiovascular disease, n (%) | 9 (16) | 15 (25) | 24 (21) |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 27 (48) | 37 (61) | 64 (55) |
| Diabetes, n (%) | |||
| Type 1 | 2 (4) | 2 (3) | 4 (3) |
| Type 2 | 13 (23) | 20 (33) | 33 (28) |
| Liver cirrhosis, n (%) | 0 (0) | 1 (2) | 1 (1) |
| Neuromuscular disease, n (%) | 3 (6) | 2 (3) | 5 (4) |
| Immunosuppression, n (%) | 3 (6) | 12 (20) | 15 (13) |
| Asthma, n (%) | 6 (11) | 8 (13) | 14 (12) |
| COPD, n (%) | 6 (11) | 5 (8) | 11 (9) |
| Other pulmonary disease, n (%) | 7 (13) | 9 (15) | 16 (14) |
| Cancer, n (%) | |||
| Active | 4 (7) | 1 (2) | 5 (4) |
| Previous | 5 (9) | 1 (2) | 6 (5) |
| Kidney function, n (%) | |||
| KDIGO 1 | 27 (48) | 22 (36) | 49 (42) |
| KDIGO 2 | 29 (52) | 37 (60) | 66 (56) |
| KDIGO 3 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| KDIGO 4 | 0 (0) | 2 (3) | 2 (2) |
| KDIGO 5 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Blood type, n (%) | |||
| 0 | 19 (34) | 25 (41) | 44 (38) |
| A | 29 (52) | 24 (39) | 53 (45) |
| B | 2 (4) | 11 (18) | 13 (11) |
| AB | 3 (6) | 1 (2) | 4 (3) |
| Active/previous smoking, n (%) | 19 (34) | 21 (34) | 40 (34) |
| BMI kg/m2, median (IQR) | 28 (26–33) | 31 (28–35) | 30 (27–34) |
| BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2, n (%) | 21 (38) | 32 (53) | 53 (45) |
| SAPS3, median (IQR) | 60 (49–63) | 58 (52–63) | 59 (51–63) |
| High‐dose prophylactic LMWH (%) | 48 (86) | 38 (62) | 86 (74) |
| ARDS grade | |||
| Mild | 2 (2) | 0 (0) | 2 (2) |
| Moderate | 44 (38) | 41 (35) | 85 (73) |
| Severe | 10 (9) | 20 (17) | 30 (30) |
| P/F‐ratio | |||
| 12 h postintubation | 195 (21,158–22,530) | 173 (135–225) | 180 (143–225) |
| 24 h postintubation | 188 (150–225) | 173 (128–218) | 188 (135–145) |
Note: Clinical characteristics of the study population, in total and divided by early and late tracheotomy. Categorical variables are reported as frequencies (%) and continuous variables as medians (IQR).
Abbreviations: ARDS, acute respiratory distress syndrome; BMI, body mass index; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; IQR, interquartile range; High‐dose LMWH, ≥9000 units/day low molecular weight heparin; SAPS3, simplified acute physiology score 3; P/F ratio, the ratio between partial pressure (mmHg) of oxygen in arterial blood over the fraction of inspired oxygen.