Table 1.
Demographic and clinical features of study participants
| Variable | Total | Suspected CAP | Suspected HAP/VAP | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 100 | N = 80 | N = 20 | ||
| Demographics | ||||
| Age (years)—median (IQR) | 1.2 (0.3–5.2) | 1.1 (0.3–4.8) | 2.8 (0.9–15.0) | 0.072a |
| Sex (male)—n (%) | 58 | 44 (55) | 14 (70) | 0.224b |
| Weight (kilograms)—median (IQR) | 10.6 (5.3–19.7) | 9.8 (5.0–18.5) | 12.9 (9.0–41.2) | 0.066a |
| Significant co-morbidity—n (%) | 33 | 24 (30) | 10 (50) | 0.091b |
| PIM3 score—median (IQR) | 3.2 (0.5–5.0) | 2.0 (0.5–5.0) | 3.6 (2.1–5.0) | 0.099a |
| Primary diagnostic category—n (%) | ||||
| Respiratory | 62 | 55 (69) | 7 (35) | 0.005b |
| Neurological | 11 | 9 (11) | 2 (10) | 0.873b |
| Cardiovascular | 7 | 5 (6) | 2 (10) | 0.346b |
| Trauma | 6 | 4 (5) | 2 (10) | 0.709b |
| Post-operative care | 6 | 1 (1) | 5 (25) | < 0.001b |
| Other | 8 | 6 (8) | 2 (10) | 0.712b |
| Admission source—n (%) | ||||
| Retrieval team | 67 | 57 (71) | 10 (50) | 0.071b |
| Emergency department | 16 | 14 (18) | 2 (10) | 0.670b |
| Paediatric ward | 10 | 7 (9) | 3 (15) | 0.694b |
| Theatre and recovery | 7 | 2 (3) | 5 (25) | < 0.001b |
| Clinical factors at time of sampling | ||||
| Observations—mean (SD) | ||||
| Temperature (°C) | 36.9 (1.1) | 36.9 (1.2) | 37.0 (0.7) | 0.890c |
| Fraction of inspired oxygen (%) | 44.1 (19.7) | 43.2 (18.5) | 47.6 (24.2) | 0.450c |
| Mean airway pressure (cm H2O) | 12.0 (3.3) | 11.9 (3.2) | 12.4 (3.8) | 0.617c |
| Secretions—n (%)* | ||||
| Absent/minimal | 29 | 27 (34) | 2 (10) | 0.034b |
| Present non-purulent | 56 | 41 (52) | 15 (75) | 0.063b |
| Present purulent | 14 | 11 (14) | 3 (15) | 0.902b |
| Chest X-ray—n (%)* | ||||
| Diffuse/patchy infiltrate | 29 | 25 (32) | 4 (20) | 0.307b |
| Localised infiltrate | 29 | 22 (28) | 7 (35) | 0.394b |
| No infiltrate | 25 | 22 (28) | 3 (15) | 0.237b |
| Other | 16 | 10 (13) | 6 (30) | 0.060b |
| Haematology and biochemistry—median (IQR) | ||||
| White cell count (109/L) | 8.5 (5.8–14.0) | 8.6 (5.8–14.7) | 8.0 (5.8–11.1) | 0.520a |
| Neutrophils (109/L) | 4.7 (2.7–10.3) | 5.0 (2.7–10.7) | 4.3 (3.1–7.6) | 0.597a |
| Lymphocytes (109/L) | 2.1 (1.0–3.2) | 2.1 (1.0–3.2) | 2.3 (1.1–3.3) | 0.856a |
| Platelets (109/L) | 280 (183–413) | 301 (217–423) | 220 (112–259) | 0.007a |
| C-reactive protein (mg/L) | 28 (7–93) | 26 (6–83) | 58 (10–186) | 0.210a |
| Outcomes | ||||
| Days free of treatment at 28 days–mean (SD) | ||||
| Antimicrobial therapy | 16.8 (7.9) | 21.1 (6.7) | 13.6 (8.3) | 0.002c |
| Mechanical ventilation | 19.1 (7.2) | 20.1 (6.5) | 14.8 (8.6) | 0.016c |
| Inotropes | 26.1 (5.1) | 26.2 (4.9) | 25.6 (5.6) | 0.640c |
| PICU admission | 16.8 (7.9) | 17.9 (7.6) | 11.4 (7.6) | 0.003c |
| Survival to hospital discharge—n (%) | 94 | 77 (96) | 17 (85) | 0.058b |
CAP community acquired pneumonia; HAP hospital acquired pneumonia; IQR interquartile range; LRTI lower respiratory tract infection; PICU paediatric intensive care unit; SD standard deviation; VAP ventilator-associated pneumonia
*Data missing for one patient in the medical record
aMann–Whitney U test
bChi-square test for independence
cStudent’s t-test for equality of means, two-sided p, equal variance not assumed