Table 3.
Complications during ICU admission and outcome variables
| Variables | No treatment (N = 634) | Corticosteroid treatment (N = 3592) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complications, n (%) | |||
| Bacterial pneumoniaa | 118 (19) | 1005 (28) | < 0.001 |
| Microbiologically confirmed pneumoniab | 82 (14) | 771 (23) | < 0.001 |
| Pneumothorax | 26 (4) | 292 (8) | < 0.001 |
| Pleural effusion | 43 (7) | 413 (12) | < 0.001 |
| Organising pneumonia | 7 (1) | 206 (6) | < 0.001 |
| Tracheobronchitis | 4 (1) | 34 (1) | 0.435 |
| Pulmonary embolism | 37 (6) | 376 (11) | < 0.001 |
| Septic shockc | 38 (7) | 216 (7) | 0.807 |
| Endocarditis | 1 (0.2) | 13 (0.4) | 0.708 |
| Myocarditis/pericarditis | 14 (2) | 66 (2) | 0.523 |
| Cardiomyopathy | 14 (2) | 60 (2) | 0.338 |
| Heart failure | 11 (2) | 82 (2) | 0.393 |
| Cardiac ischemia | 10 (2) | 78 (2) | 0.340 |
| Bacteraemia | 147 (23) | 1021 (28) | 0.008 |
| Stroke | 13 (2) | 61 (2) | 0.526 |
| Delirium | 96 (15) | 723 (20) | 0.004 |
| Coagulation disorderd | 133 (21) | 709 (20) | 0.416 |
| Disseminated intravascular coagulatione | 48 (38) | 148 (21) | < 0.001 |
| Anaemiaf | 324 (51) | 2061 (57) | 0.004 |
| Rhabdomyolysis | 17 (3) | 133 (4) | 0.204 |
| Acute renal failureg | 218 (34) | 1102 (31) | 0.062 |
| Pancreatitis | 5 (1) | 31 (1) | 0.855 |
| Liver dysfunction | 160 (25) | 1003 (28) | 0.171 |
| Hyperglycaemia | 322 (51) | 2432 (68) | < 0.001 |
| Haemorrhage | 27 (4) | 283 (8) | 0.001 |
| Outcomes | |||
| In-hospital mortality, n (%) | 207 (33) | 1051 (29) | 0.085 |
| 90-day mortalityh | 208 (34) | 1062 (32) | 0.273 |
| Length of ICU stay, median (Q1; Q3), days | |||
| All patients | 10 (5; 19) | 15 (8; 29) | < 0.001 |
| Surviving patients | 11 (5; 22) | 13 (7; 29) | < 0.001 |
| Length of hospital stay, median (Q1; Q3), days | |||
| All patients | 17 (10; 31) | 25 (16; 43) | < 0.001 |
| Surviving patients | 22 (14; 37) | 27 (17; 47) | < 0.001 |
| Ventilator-free days, median (Q1; Q3) | 0 (0; 16) | 0 (0; 16) | 0.723 |
| Mechanical ventilation length, median (Q1; Q3)i, days | |||
| All patients | 12 (6; 19) | 16 (9; 28) | < 0.001 |
| Surviving patients | 13 (9; 22) | 14 (8; 27) | 0.075 |
| ICU-free days, median (Q1; Q3) | 6 (0; 20) | 3 (0; 19) | 0.016 |
| Tracheostomy, n (%) | 157 (25) | 1130 (31) | 0.001 |
| Reintubation, n (%)j | 15 (7) | 124 (8) | 0.522 |
ICU intensive care unit, Q1 first quartile, Q3 third quartile. Percentages calculated on non-missing data
aClinically or radiologically diagnosed bacterial pneumonia managed with antimicrobials. Bacteriologic confirmation was not required
bMicrobiologically confirmed nosocomial pneumonia was defined clinically or radiologically diagnosed bacterial pneumonia managed with antimicrobials with positive culture of pathogenic germs in respiratory secretions samples
cCriteria for the Sepsis-3 definition of septic shock include vasopressor treatment and a lactate concentration > 2 mmol/L at ICU admission
dAbnormal coagulation was identified by abnormal prothrombin time or activated partial thromboplastin time
eDisseminated intravascular coagulation was defined by thrombocytopenia, prolonged prothrombin time, low fibrinogen, elevated d-dimer and thrombotic microangiopathy
fHaemoglobin consistently below 120 g/L for non-pregnant women and 130 g/L for men
gAcute renal injury was defined as either an increase in serum creatinine by ≥ 0.3 mg/dL within 48 h or an increase in serum creatinine to ≥ 1.5 times that at baseline
hCalculated only for patients with 90-day follow-up (615 in the no treatment group and 3363 in the corticosteroid treatment group)
iDuration of invasive mechanical ventilation was measured from initiation of ventilation until either successful extubation, successful permanent disconnection or death
jReintubation due to extubation failure