Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the 614 patients according to initial blood culture results
Variable | Positive blood culture (N = 270) | Negative blood culture (N = 344) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
Age, years, median (range) | 62 (19 to 96) | 64 (21 to 99) | 0.080 |
Gender, n (%) | 0.80 | ||
Female | 106 (39.3) | 131 (38.1) | |
Male | 164 (60.7) | 213 (61.9) | |
BMI, kg/m2, median (Q1 to Q3) | 24.2 (21.2 to 27.6) | 24.5 (21.3 to 29.0) | 0.37 |
N missing | 25 | 23 | |
Admission, n (%) | 0.35 | ||
Direct admission to ICU | 28 (10.4) | 46 (13.4) | |
Transfer from ER | 202 (74.8) | 257 (74.7) | |
Transfer from another ward | 40 (14.8) | 41 (11.9) | |
McCabe score, n (%) | 0.27 | ||
1 | 243 (90.0) | 319 (92.7) | |
2 | 26 (9.6) | 25 (7.3) | |
3 | 1 (0.4) | 0 (0) | |
Pneumonia severity index, n (%) | 0.033 | ||
II | 10 (3.7) | 27 (7.8) | |
III | 35 (13.0) | 28 (8.1) | |
IV | 89 (33.0) | 102 (29.7) | |
V | 136 (50.4) | 187 (54.4) | |
SOFA score, median (Q1 to Q3) | 7 (4 to 11) | 7 (4 to 10) | 0.14 |
SAPS II, median (Q1 to Q3) | 45 (32 to 58) | 43 (33 to 56) | 0.65 |
Charlson comorbidity index, n (%) | 0.20 | ||
0–1 | 51 (18.9) | 50 (14.5) | |
2 | 47 (17.4) | 47 (13.7) | |
3 | 44 (16.3) | 62 (18.0) | |
≥ 4 | 128 (47.4) | 185 (53.8) | |
WBC < 4 × 109/L, n (%) | 69 (25.9) | 47 (13.7) | 0.0002 |
N missing | 4 | 2 | |
Platelets ≤ 100 × 109/L, n (%) | 48 (18.0) | 42 (12.5) | 0.065 |
N missing | 4 | 7 | |
Lactate (mmol/L), n (%) | 0.11 | ||
< 2 | 67 (27.1) | 114 (35.2) | |
2–4 | 117 (47.4) | 132 (40.7) | |
> 4 | 63 (25.5) | 78 (24.1) | |
N missing | 23 | 20 | |
Catecholamines, n (%) | 124 (45.9) | 154 (44.8) | 0.81 |
Need for RRT, n (%) | 14 (5.2) | 8 (2.3) | 0.079 |
Invasive mechanical ventilation, n (%) | 136 (50.4) | 171 (49.7) | 0.94 |
Non-invasive ventilation, n (%) | 69 (25.6) | 102 (29.7) | 0.28 |
Pulmonary infection, n (%) | > 0.99 | ||
1 lobe | 95 (35.2) | 121 (35.2) | |
2 lobes | 69 (25.6) | 88 (25.6) | |
Bilateral | 106 (39.3) | 135 (39.2) | |
Pre-hospital antibiotic therapy, n (%) | 27 (10.0) | 56 (16.3) | 0.024 |
Time to antibiotics, n (%) | 0.99 | ||
< 3 h | 112 (48.1) | 140 (47.9) | |
3–6 h | 60 (25.8) | 77 (26.4) | |
> 6 h | 61 (26.2) | 75 (25.7) | |
N missing | 37 | 52 | |