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Table 1 Patient and hospital characteristics

From: Changes in hospital costs after introducing an intermediate care unit: a comparative observational study

 

Pre-IMC period

IMC period

P value

 

n = 329

n = 475

 

Number of ICU beds

17

16

 

Number of IMC beds

-

6

 

Gender, percentage of males

61.2%

59.6%

0.67a

Age, mean ± SD, years

57 ± 18.3

56 ± 18.0

0.20b

Age, 25%/median/75%, years

43/60/72

44/59/70

 

Surgical patients, number (percentage)

175 (53.2%)

277 (60.6%)

0.04a

Diagnostic category, number (percentage)

  

<0.01a

   Neurosurgical

41 (12.5%)

141 (30.9%)

 

   Respiratory

88 (26.7%)

87 (19%)

 

   Gastrointestinal

18 (5.5%)

14 (3.1%)

 

   Cardiovascular

105 (31.9%)

134 (29.3%)

 

   Multitrauma

36 (10.9%)

41 (9%)

 

   Sepsis

16 (4.9%)

20 (4.4%)

 

   Metabolic/Renal

17 (5.2%)

16 (3.6%)

 

   Haematological

2 (0.6%)

4 (0.9%)

 

Length of stay in the ICU, mean ± SD, days

5.8 ± 9.2

7.0 ± 2.4

0.25b

Length of stay in the ICU, 25%/median/75%, days

1/3/6

1/2/8.5

 

APACHE II score, mean ± SD (number)

19.5 ± 8.2 (230)

19.9 ± 7.6 (279)

0.44b

APACHE II score, 25%/median/75%

13/19/24

14/19/25

 

TISS-28 score on 1st day, mean ± SD

28.9 ± 10.8

30.2 ± 11.0

0.16b

TISS-28 score on 1st day, 25%/median/75%

21/28/36

22/29/37

 

TISS-28 ICU stay, mean ± SD

26.9 ± 9.3

28.6 ± 9.6

0.02b

TISS-28 ICU stay, 25%/median/75%

20/26/33

22/28/35

 

Mortality in the ICU, number (percentage)

64 (19.5%)

115 (25.2%)

0.06a

Mortality after ICU, number (percentage)

13 (4.0%)

14 (3.1%)

0.77a

  1. aChi-square tests. bMann-Whitney tests. APACHE II, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II; ICU, intensive care unit; IMC, intermediate care unit; SD, standard deviation; TISS-28, Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System with a median value of 28.