Table 1

Clinical characteristics of the patients classified into the four expected outcome categories of the Sabadell score at intensive care unit discharge


Good prognosis (0 points) (n = 843)
Long-term poor prognosis (1 point) (n = 186)
Short-term poor prognosis (2 points) (n = 95)
Expected hospital death (3 points) (n = 32)

Age (years)
57 ± 18.3b,c,d
67 ± 13.0a
70 ± 13.8a
72 ± 10.4a
Source of admission




     Emergency room
529 (63%)
111 (60%)
56 (59%)
22 (69%)
     Surgery
142 (17%)d
28 (15%)d
14 (15%)d
0 (0%)a,b,c
     Ward
115 (14%)
37 (29%)
22 (23%)
7 (22%)
     Other
57 (7%)
10 (5%)
3 (3%)
3 (10%)
Admission diagnosis




     Cardiac
234 (28%)
57 (31%)
23 (24%)
15 (47%)
     Respiratory
74 (9%)
45 (24%)
18 (19%)
4 (12%)
     Neurological
53 (6%)d
10 (5%)d
11 (12%)d
7 (22%)a,b,c
     Trauma
142 (17%)b,c,d
6 (3%)a
5 (5%)a
2 (6%)a
     Other
340 (40%)d
68 (36%)d
38 (40%)d
4 (12%)a,b,c
Severe comorbidities (APACHE II score)
160 (19%)b,c
93 (50%)a,d
45 (47%)a,d
8 (25%)b,c
'Do-not-resuscitate' orders on admission
0 (0%)
2 (1%)
6 (6%)
3 (10%)a,b
APACHE II risk of death (%)
17 ± 18.3c,d
25 ± 20.2d
32 ± 24.7a
39 ± 24.6a
Need for vasoactive drugs (n (%))
211 (25)d
63 (34)d
40 (42)d
20 (63)a,b,c
Tracheal intubation (n (%))
303 (36)c,d
80 (43)d
56 (59)a
25 (78)a,b
Tracheostomy (n (%))
34 (4)c,d
17 (9)c,d
23 (24)a,b,d
15 (47)a,b,c
Blood transfusion (n (%))
185 (22)
46 (25)
34 (36)
8 (25)
Acute renal failure (n (%))
67 (8)d
20 (11)d
10 (11)d
8 (25)a,b,c
ICU-acquired infection (n (%))
59 (7)c,d
19 (10)c
26 (27)a,b
7 (22)a
ICU readmission (n (%))
18 (2%)
6 (3%)
4 (4%)
0
Ward mortality (n (%))
14 (2%)b,c,d
32 (17%)a,c,d
39 (41%)a,b,d
26 (81%)a,b,c

APACHE, Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation; ICU, intensive care unit. Comparison of variables by analysis of variance: aP < 0.05 compared with good prognosis, bP < 0.05 compared with bad prognosis in the long term, cP < 0.05 compared with bad prognosis in the short term, dP < 0.05 compared with expected hospital death.

Fernandez et al. Critical Care 2006 10:R179   doi:10.1186/cc5136