Table 1 Patient characteristics

Number of patients

13

42

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Demographic characteristics

   Age, mean, years (SD)

74.3 (13.5)

73.2 (7.46)

0.150

   Sex, number (%)

Male

7 (53.8)

25 (59.5)

0.228

Female

6 (46.2)

17 (40.5)

Length of hospitalization before ICU admission, days (IQR)

15 (8.5-29.5)

3 (2-6.25)

0.001^a

Length of ICU stay, days (IQR)

10 (6-20)

7 (5-14)

0.253

Transferred from other hospital/ICU, number (%)

5 (38.5)

5 (11.9)

0.079

   From other ICU, number (%)

1 (7.7)

3 (7.1)

0.672

   From other hospital, number (%)

4 (30.8)

2 (4.8)

0.034^a

Medical history, number (%)

   Three or more hospitalizations

9 (69.2)

38 (90.5)

0.147

   Chronic renal dysfunction

3 (23.1)

4 (9.5)

0.421

   Diabetes mellitus

0 (0)

6 (14.3)

0.350

   Nonhematologic malignancy

0 (0)

3 (7.1)

0.438

Corticosteroids use

   Number of patients with steroids use (%)

9 (69.2)

26 (61.9)

0.881

   Prolonged steroids for≥3 weeks before ICU admission, number (%)

1 (7.7)

5 (11.9)

1.000

   Accumulated dosage of systemic steroids,▵ mg, mean (SD)

371 (199)

180 (150)

0.006^a

   Accumulated dosage of systemic steroids,▵ mg, median (IQR)

400 (190-535)

105 (75-241)

0.021^a

   Duration of steroids before ICU admission, day, median (IQR)

6 (0-7)

1 (0-3)

0.041^a

   Daily dosage of systemic steroids ▵, mg, median (IQR)

50 (0-75)

50 (0-63)

0.377

   Inhaled steroids, number (%)

1 (7.7)

2 (4.8)

1.000

Antibiotics

   Number of patients with antibiotics (%)

13 (100)

36 (85.7)

0.350

   Number of kinds of antibiotics, median (IQR)

3 (1-5)

2 (1-2)

0.037^a

   Length of antibiotics use, days, median (IQR)

10 (4.5-22.0)

3 (2-10.3)

0.015^a

APACHE II scores, mean (SD)

18.6 (7.1)

12.6 (4.5)

0.010^a

Mechanical ventilation

   Total number of patients with invasive ventilation during RICU stays (%)

13 (100)

25 (59.5)

0.016^a

   Duration of invasive mechanical ventilation, days, median (IQR)

8 (5-15)

3 (0-10)

0.006^a

Outcome, number (%)

   Survival

4 (30.8)

35 (83.3)

0.001^a

   Dead

9 (69.2)

7 (16.7)