Table 1 Patients’ general characteristics at inclusion

Age (years)

69 (63–78)

68 (60–71)

74 (66–78)

0.14

Male gender

23 (70%)

12 (67%)

11 (73%)

0.72

SAPS II

58 (49–65)

56 (45–65)

58 (54–62)

0.47

Time between ARDS onset and inclusion (day)

1 (0–3)

1 (0–1)

2 (1–6)

0.03

ARDS category

0.28

• moderate ARDS

10 (30%)

7 (39%)

3 (20%)

• severe ARDS

23 (70%)

11 (61%)

12 (80%)

ARDS risk factors^a

• pneumonia

23 (72%)

13 (72%)

10 (67%)

1

• non-pulmonary sepsis

5 (15%)

1 (6%)

4 (27%)

0.15

• aspiration of gastric content

5 (15%)

4 (22%)

1 (7%)

0.35

• other

2 (6%)

0 (0%)

2 (13%)

0.20

SOFA score

11 (10–13)

11 (9–13)

12 (10–14)

0.35

Midazolam dose (mg.kg^-1.h^-1)

0.10 (0.06–0.13)

0.09 (0.07–0.13)

0.10 (0.06–0.12)

0.90

Morphine dose (mg.kg^-1.h^-1)

0.05 (0.04–0.07)

0.04 (0.03–0.07)

0.06 (0.04–0.08)

0.36

ARDS adjunctive therapies

• NMBA administration

30 (91%)

16 (89%)

14 (93%)

1

• iNO administration

4 (12%)

2 (11%)

2 (13%)

1

• renal replacement therapy

14 (42%)

7 (39%)

7 (47%)

0.73

Clinician justification to administer intravascular fluids^b

• arterial lactate >2 mmol.L^-1

23 (70%)

13 (72%)

10 (67%)

1

• MAP <65 mm Hg

17 (52%)

12 (67%)

5 (33%)

0.08

• cardiac output decrease

12 (36%)

5 (28%)

7 (47%)

0.30

• urine output <0.5 ml.kg.h^-1

11 (33%)

5 (28%)

6 (40%)

0.49

• heart rate >100 min^-1

11 (33%)

5 (28%)

6 (40%)

0.49

• skin mottling

10 (30%)

5 (28%)

5 (33%)

1

• 1 of the above criteria

7 (21%)

4 (22%)

3 (20%)

• > 1 of the above criteria

26 (79%)

14 (78%)

12 (80%)

1

Cause of circulatory failure

• septic shock

29 (88%)

15 (83%)

14 (93%)

0.61

• cardiogenic shock

2 (6%)

1 (6%)

1 (7%)

1

• other

2 (6%)

2 (11%)

0 (0%)

0.49

Cardiac arrhythmia

1

• atrial fibrillation

7 (21%)

4 (22%)

3 (20%)

• other

7 (21%)

4 (22%)

3 (20%)

• none

19 (58%)

10 (56%)

9 (60%)