Table 2.
Main interventions and treatments of the study population ≥70 years old by type of respiratory support.a
| Variables | All patients (N = 1525) | Non-invasive respiratory support (N = 554) | Invasive mechanical ventilation (N = 971) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COVID-19 therapies during ICU admission, n (%) | ||||
| Ribavirin | 4 (0.3) | 0 (0) | 4 (0.4) | 0.303 |
| Lopinavir/ritonavir | 659 (43) | 146 (26) | 513 (53) | <0.001 |
| Remdesivir | 229 (15) | 127 (23) | 102 (11) | <0.001 |
| Interferon alpha | 5 (0.3) | 0 (0) | 5 (1) | 0.166 |
| Interferon beta | 322 (21) | 58 (10) | 264 (27) | <0.001 |
| Chloroquine | 54 (4) | 18 (3) | 36 (4) | 0.641 |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 686 (45) | 149 (27) | 537 (55) | <0.001 |
| Tocilizumab | 574 (38) | 213 (39) | 361 (37) | 0.625 |
| Darunavir/cobicistat | 27 (2) | 6 (1) | 21 (2) | 0.124 |
| Pharmacological adjunctive therapies during ICU admission | ||||
| Continuous furosemide, n (%) | 775 (51) | 224 (41) | 551 (57) | <0.001 |
| Immunoglobulins, n (%) | 27 (2) | 11 (2) | 16 (2) | 0.645 |
| Subcutaneous heparin, n (%) | 1357 (96) | 504 (97) | 853 (96) | 0.162 |
| ≤1 mg/kg/day, n (%) | 1065 (70) | 428 (78) | 637 (66) | <0.001 |
| >1 mg/kg/day, n (%) | 497 (33) | 174 (32) | 323 (34) | 0.426 |
| Convalescent plasma, n (%) | 47 (3) | 27 (5) | 20 (2) | 0.002 |
| Vasopressor treatment, n (%) | 1161 (76) | 271 (49) | 890 (92) | <0.001 |
| Continuous neuromuscular blockers, n (%) | 1037 (68) | 245 (44) | 792 (82) | <0.001 |
| Corticosteroid, n (%) | 1300 (86) | 509 (93) | 791 (83) | <0.001 |
| Length of treatment, median (Q1; Q3), days | 10 (7; 13) | 10 (7; 15) | 10 (6; 13) | <0.001 |
| Total equivalent dexamethasone dose, median (Q1; Q3), mg/day | 15 (6; 29.4) | 12.6 (6; 25.6) | 15.8 (7.5; 33.8) | <0.001 |
| Other adjunctive treatments during ICU admission | ||||
| Tracheostomy, n (%) | 517 (34) | 129 (23) | 388 (40) | <0.001 |
| Recruitment manoeuvres, n (%) | 626 (43) | 133 (25) | 493 (53) | <0.001 |
| Prone position, n (%) | 971 (64) | 249 (45) | 722 (75) | <0.001 |
| Prone length, median (Q1; Q3), hours | 48 (24; 90) | 48 (24; 96) | 48 (24; 85) | 0.764 |
| ECMO support, n (%) | 3 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 3 (0.3) | 0.558 |
| ECMO length, median (Q1; Q3), hours | 25 (1; 49) | – | 25 (1; 49) | – |
| Renal replacement therapy, n (%) | 158 (10) | 28 (5) | 130 (13) | <0.001 |
Abbreviations: ICU indicates intensive care unit; Q1, first quartile; Q3, third quartile; ECMO, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Percentages calculated on non-missing data. p-values marked in bold indicate numbers that are statistically significant on the 95% confidence limit.
a
Patients who received non-invasive respiratory support but needed intubation were included in the invasive mechanical ventilation group.