Outcome of acute respiratory distress syndrome in university and non-university hospitals in Germany

Table 1 Demographic and clinical characteristics at onset of ARDS in university and non-university hospitals

	University hospital	Non-university hospital
	(n = 87)	(n = 111)	p value
Age (years)	59.0 (16.2); 63 (47–72)	62.8 (15.9); 65 (52–74)	0.10
Sex, male/female	62 (71.3)/25 (28.7)	80 (72.1)/31 (27.9)	0.9
BMI (kg/m²)	26.0 (4.9); 25.7 (23.2–27.7)	26.9 (6.2); 26.0 (23.1–29.4)	0.34
BMI categories
< 18.5/<25.5/<30.0/≥30.0 kg/m²	3 (4.5)/28 (41.8)/28 (41.8)/8 (11.9)	5 (4.7)/39 (36.8)/41 (38.7)/21(19.8)	0.6
SAPS II at ICU admission	45.2 (17.2); 42 (32–58)	48.7 (20.4); 48 (37–62)	0.21
Main problem, medical/surgical	48 (55.2)/39 (44.8)	69 (62.2)/42 (37.8)	0.32
ARDS origin, pulmonary/ extrapulmonary	65 (78.3)/18 (21.7)	79 (72.5)/30 (27.5)	0.36
Late onset of ARDS^a	35 (40.2)	28 (25.2)	0.02
Onset of ARDS: day after initiation of mechanical ventilation	1 (0-5)	0 (0-2)	0.02
PaO₂/FiO₂ (mmHg)	157 (124-186)	149 (114-179)	0.29
Dynamic compliance^b (ml/mbar; ml/mbar/kg PBW)	39 (29–55); 0.58 (0.44–0.79)	33 (24–43); 0.52 (0.39–0.67)	0.006; 0.04
Reason for initiation of mechanical ventilation (only presented when different between groups)^c
Postoperative acute respiratory failure	19 (21.8)	12 (10.8)	0.03
Acute respiratory failure after aspiration	2 (2.3)	12 (10.8)	0.02
Complications until the onset of ARDS
Sepsis^c	41 (47.1)	38 (34.2)	0.07
Pneumonia^c	43 (49.4)	44 (39.6)	0.17
Cardiovascular failure	63 (72.4)	71 (64.0)	0.21
Renal failure	26 (29.9)	32 (28.8)	0.87
Coagulopathy	23 (26.4)	8 (7.2)	<0.001
Liver failure	11 (12.6)	2 (1.8)	0.002
Metabolic acidosis	8 (9.2)	13 (11.7)	0.57
Respiratory acidosis	18 (20.7)	23 (20.7)	1.0
Barotrauma	14 (16.1)	13 (11.7)	0.37

Data presented as mean (standard deviation); median (interquartile range) or n (%)
ARDS acute respiratory distress syndrome, BMI body mass index, SAPS II Severe Acute Physiology Score II, ICU intensive care unit, PaO ₂ /FiO ₂ arterial-to-inspired oxygen ratio, PBW predicted body weight, PEEP positive end-expiratory pressure
^aDefined as ARDS developing ≥48 h after the onset of mechanical ventilation
^bCompliance = tidal volume / (plateau pressure – PEEP)
^cAll cases as reason for initiation of mechanical ventilation or developing as complication during mechanical ventilation until the onset of ARDS. The other reasons for the initiation of mechanical ventilation did not differ between ARDS patients in university and non-university hospitals (e.g., multiple trauma, eight vs five patients (9.2 vs 4.5%), p = 0.19). Further details for these other reasons for the entire group of patients with ARDS are presented in Additional file 1: Table S1

ISSN: 1364-8535