Table 2 Primary and secondary endpoints by treatment arm in the intention-to-treat analysis
Outcomes | Overall (n = 130) | CRP group (n = 64) | Control (n = 66) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Primary outcomes | ||||
 Duration of antibiotic therapy (median, Q1–Q3) | 7 (5–10) | 7 (5–8.8) | 7 (7–11.3) | 0.011 |
 Duration of antibiotic therapy (mean, ± SD) | 9 (± 8) | 8 (± 6.3) | 10 (± 9.3) | 0.264 |
Secondary outcomes | ||||
 Total exposure to antibiotic, days (median, Q1–Q3) | 8 (7–17) | 8 (6–19) | 8.5 (7–16) | 0.564 |
Antibiotic-free period, days/100 live days (median, Q1–Q3) | 47.5 (15.1–63.1) | 51.6 (12.9–67.2) | 40.6 (18.8–59.3) | 0.252 |
De-escalation rate (%) | 40 (30.7%) | 19 (29.7%) | 21 (31.8) | 0.850 |
Length of stay in ICU, days (median, Q1–Q3) | 8 (4–15) | 8 (4–15) | 8 (4–17) | 0.414 |
Length of stay in hospital, days (median, Q1–Q3) | 29 (15–47) | 31.5 (16–53) | 25.5 (15–43) | 0.356 |
Length of mechanical ventilation support, days (median, Q1–Q3) | 2.5 (0–9) | 2 (0–9) | 3 (0–9) | 0.676 |
28th-day mortality, n (%) | 33 (25.4%) | 18 (28.1%) | 15 (22.7%) | 0.480 |
ICU mortality, n (%) | 24 (18.5%) | 12 (18.8%) | 12 (18.2%) | 0.933 |
Sepsis-related death, n (%) | 25 (19.2%) | 15 (23.4%) | 10 (15.2%) | 0.363 |
Recurrence of first infection, n (%) | 4 (3.1%) | 3 (4.7%) | 1 (1.5%) | 0.295 |
Sequential nosocomial infection, n (%) | 43 (33.1%) | 21 (32.8%) | 22 (33.3%) | 0.950 |
MDR pathogen infection, n (%) | 18 (13.8%) | 9 (14.1%) | 9 (13.6%) | 0.572 |