Table 2 Clinical and laboratory features and ICU management
Variable | All patients N = 969 | Early dexamethasone N = 611 | No steroids N = 358 | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Clinical parameters at ICU admission | ||||
Respiratory rate, breaths/min, median [IQR] | 25.00 [22.00–30.00] | 25.00 [21.00–30.00] | 25.00 [23.00–30.00] | 0.007 |
Respiratory support at ICU admission | ||||
Standard oxygen, n (%) | 528 (55.11) | 280 (46.05) | 248 (70.86) | < 0.001 |
Noninvasive mechanical ventilation, n (%) | 14 (1.46) | 8 (1.32) | 6 (1.71) | |
High-flow nasal oxygen, n (%) | 297 (31.00) | 263 (43.26) | 34 (9.71) | |
Invasive mechanical ventilation, n (%) | 119 (12.42) | 57 (9.38) | 62 (17.71) | |
Laboratory data | ||||
C-reactive protein, mg/L, median [IQR] | 127.70 [73.00–194.00] | 122.00 [68.20–188.60] | 136.00 [83.10–213.00] | 0.07 |
Fibrinogen, g/L, median [IQR], g/L | 6.73 [5.69–7.76] | 6.63 [5.57–7.74] | 6.90 [6.00–7.91] | 0.16 |
D-dimers, median [IQR] | 1147.50 [660.00–2050.00] | 1099.00 [652.00–1983.00] | 1247.5 [730.00–2472.00] | 0.09 |
SOFA score, median [IQR] | 3.00 [2.00–6.00] | 3.00 [2.00–4.00] | 4.00 [2.00–7.00] | < 0.001 |
SAPS II, median [IQR] | 32.00 [24.00–41.00] | 32.00 [24.00–40.00] | 33.00 [22.00–44.00] | 0.18 |
Life-sustaining interventions in the ICU, n (%) | ||||
Noninvasive mechanical ventilation | 82 (8.50) | 66 (10.80) | 16 (4.52) | < 0.001 |
High-flow nasal oxygen | 552 (57.20) | 486 (79.54) | 66 (18.64) | < 0.001 |
Endotracheal mechanical ventilation | 571 (58.93) | 327 (53.52) | 244 (68.16) | < 0.001 |
ECMO | 39 (4.02) | 23 (3.76) | 16 (4.47) | 0.59 |
Vasopressors | 409 (42.30) | 230 (37.70) | 179 (50.14) | 0.0002 |
Renal replacement therapy | 77 (7.95) | 42 (6.87) | 35 (9.80) | 0.10 |
Other treatments in the ICU, n (%) | ||||
Second-line corticosteroids | 53 (5.47) | 53 (8.67) | – | – |
IL6 receptor antagonist | 6 (0.62) | 6 (0.98) | 0 (0.00) | 0.09 |
Convalescent plasma | 1 (0.10) | 1 (0.16) | 0 (0.00) | 1.00 |
Lopinavir ritonavir | 79 (8.15) | 4 (0.65) | 75 (20.95) | < 0.001 |
Remdesivir | 48 (4.95) | 37 (6.06) | 11 (3.07) | 0.04 |
Other antiviral | 8 (0.83) | 3 (0.49) | 5 (1.40) | 0.15 |
Interferon-β | 3 (0.31) | 0 (0.00) | 3 (0.84) | 0.05 |
Hydroxychloroquine | 77 (7.95) | 8 (1.31) | 69 (19.27) | < 0.001 |
Ivermectin | 22 (2.27) | 21 (3.44) | 1 (0.28) | 0.001 |
Macrolides | 10 (1.03) | 4 (0.65) | 6 (1.68) | 0.19 |