Epidemiology and patterns of tracheostomy practice in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome in ICUs across 50 countries

Table 4 Description of outcomes in the propensity-matched sample (n = 534)

	Tracheostomy (n = 267)	No tracheostomy (n = 267)	P value
	Number (%) or median (Q1–Q3)	Number (%) or median (Q1–Q3)	P value
Days of mechanical ventilation
All patients	22 [13–33.5]	8 [4–12]	<.0001
Patient alive at hospital discharge	22 [13.5–33]	6 [3–11]	<.0001
Ventilator-free days
All patients	0 [0–11]	18 [0–25]	<.0001
Patient alive at hospital discharge	7 [0–15.5]	23 [18–26]	<.0001
Length of ICU stay (days)°
All patients	11 [5–24]	8 [5–14]	<.0001
Patient alive at hospital discharge	12 [6–25]	8 [5–14]	0.0002
Length of hospital stay (days)°
All patients	24 [9–43]	17 [10–31]	0.0190
Patient alive at hospital discharge	31 [15.5–50.5]	23 [13–38]	0.0325
Hospital mortality
28-day*	61 (22.9)	85 (31.8)	0.0197
60-day*	78 (29.3)	97 (36.3)	0.0814
90-day*	81 (30.5)	102 (38.2)	0.0549
Limitation of life-sustaining therapies or measures decision	53 (19.9)	59 (22.1)	0.5900

Statistical tests accounted for the matched nature of the sample (paired t test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test for continuous variables, McNemar’s test for dichotomous variables)
°For tracheostomized patients, length of stay was valuated from the “approximate” date of tracheostomy
*Mortality was evaluated according to the vital status at 28/60/90 days from acute respiratory distress syndrome onset or from the “nearest recorded” date of tracheostomy for non-tracheostomized and tracheostomized patients, respectively. If the patient was discharged alive before 28/60/90 days, we considered the patient as alive