Table 1 Baseline characteristics

Male gender, %

60.3

63.1

60.7

0.782^a

Age, years, mean (95 % CI)

57.6 (57.0, 58.3)

59.9 (59.4, 60.3)

59.6 (59.0, 60.2)

<0.002^b

Length of stay in ICU, days, median (IQR)

4.5 (2.0, 11.3)

2.8 (1.1, 8.2)

3.1 (1.8, 8.3)

<0.002^c

Length of stay hospital, days, median (IQR)

18.0 (9.0, 38.7)

14.0 (7.9, 30.5)

16.0 (8.1, 32.8)

<0.002^c

Hospitalization due to emergency, %

54.0

41.8

45.1

<0.002^a

Died on ICU, number (%)

472 (18.6)

659 (13.4)

393 (14.4)

<0.002^a

Died in hospital, number (%)

135 (5.3)

275 (5.6)

147 (5.4)

0.741^a

Number of glucose measurements per patient, median (IQR)

8 (5–18)

12 (6–37)

27 (13–76)

<0.002^c

Number of glucose measurements per patient per ICU day, median (IQR)

1.9 (1.2, 3.3)

4.8 (2.8, 7.8)

8.9 (7.3, 10.6)

<0.002^c

Number of potassium measurements per patient, median (IQR)

10 (6–21)

9 (6–17)

9 (6–20)

<0.002^c

Number of potassium measurements per patient per ICU day, median (IQR)

2.3 (1.5, 3.5)

2.8 (1.9, 4.8)

2.8 (2.0, 3.9)

<0.002^c

pH, mean (95 % CI)

7.42 (7.38, 7.45)^†

7.39 (7.39, 7.39)^{†††††}

7.39 (7.39, 7.39)^††

0.125^b

Creatinine, mean (95 % CI)

120.6 (115.7, 125.4)^†††

108.5 (105.6, 111.4) ^{††††††}

111.5 (107.5, 115.5)^††††

<0.002^b