Table 1

Characteristics of patients receiving DrotAA compared with control patients

Characteristic
All admissions receiving DrotAA (n = 1,292)
Admissions with severe sepsis and ≥2 organ systems failing receiving DrotAA (N = 1,079)
Admissions with severe sepsis and ≥2 organ systems failing not receiving DrotAA (n = 15,939)

Age (years; mean ± SD)
58.8 ± 16.0
59.1 ± 16.1
63.3 ± 17.2
Sex (n [%])
     Female
638 (49.4)
535 (49.6)
7,333 (46.0)
     Male
654 (50.6)
544 (50.4)
8,604 (54.0)
Mechanical ventilation on admission or during first 24 hours of stay in critical care (n [%])
1,163 (90.0)
998 (92.5)
12,060 (75.7)
APACHE II score (mean ± SD)
     Acute physiology score
18.2 (6.5)
18.8 (6.4)
16.0 (6.5)
     Score
21.9 (6.9)
22.6 (6.7)
20.7 (7.2)
ICNARC model physiology score (mean ± SD)
29.1 (9.0)
30.4 (8.4)
24.9 (9.4)
Serious conditions in past medical historya (n [%])
     Liver
10 (0.8)
9 (0.8)
384 (2.4)
     Cardiovascular
5 (0.4)
5 (0.5)
263 (1.7)
     Respiratory
23 (1.8)
23 (2.1)
630 (4.0)
     Renal
14 (1.1)
12 (1.1)
315 (2.0)
     Immunosuppressed
92 (7.1)
78 (7.2)
1,545 (9.7)
Admission typeb (n [%])
     Medical
939 (72.7)
789 (73.1)
11,375 (71.4)
     Elective surgical
56 (4.3)
32 (3.0)
819 (5.1)
     Emergency surgical
297 (23.0)
258 (23.9)
3,745 (23.5)
Organ systems failing during first 24 hours of stay in critical care (n [%])
     Cardiovascular
1,235 (95.6)
1,070 (99.2)
15,136 (95.0)
     Respiratory
1,166 (90.3)
1,005 (93.1)
13,722 (86.1)
     Renal
480 (37.7)
427 (40.0)
4,274 (27.1)
     Haematological
229 (17.7)
199 (18.4)
2,290 (14.4)
     Metabolic acidosis
990 (76.6)
872 (80.8)
9,674 (60.7)
Number of organ systems failing during first 24 hours of stay in critical care (n [%])
     <2
60 (4.7)
N/A
N/A
     2
238 (18.4)
198 (18.4)
6,809 (42.7)
     3
498 (38.5)
433 (40.1)
5,664 (35.5)
     4
398 (30.8)
362 (33.6)
2,844 (17.8)
     5
98 (7.6)
86 (8.0)
622 (3.9)
Primary site of infectionc (n [%])
     Lung
495 (41.9)
423 (42.8)
N/R
     Abdomen
478 (40.4)
390 (39.5)
N/R
     Urinary tract
57 (4.8)
51 (5.2)
N/R
     Other
158 (13.4)
131 (13.3)
N/R
Positive blood cultured (n [%])
438 (40.3)
381 (42.1)
N/R
Organisms cultured (n [%])
     Any
814 (64.6)
692 (65.8)
N/R
     Gram-negative
399 (49.0)
331 (47.8)
N/R
     Gram-positive
437 (53.7)
382 (55.2)
N/R
     Fungus
101 (12.4)
81 (11.7)
N/R
Deaths within 96 hours of unit admission (n [%])
166 (12.9)
151 (14.0)
3,315 (20.8)
Mortality (deaths [%])
     Unit
449 (34.8)
385 (35.7)
5,404 (33.9)
     Hospitale
567 (45.0)
484 (45.4)
7,438 (46.7)
Location at 28-days (n [%])
     Died
463 (35.8)
398 (36.9)
6,541 (41.0)
     Unit
240 (18.6)
177 (16.4)
888 (5.6)
     Hospital
363 (28.1)
312 (28.9)
3,865 (24.3)
     Out of Hospitale
226 (17.5)
192 (17.8)
4,645 (29.1)
Unit length of stay (days; median [IQR])
     Unit survivors
14.2 (8.1–24.9)
13.8 (8.0–23.2)
5.0 (2.2–11.0)
     Unit nonsurvivors
7.2 (2.3–16.3)
6.4 (2.0–15.6)
2.5 (1.0–7.4)
Hospital length of stay (days; median [IQR])f
     Hospital survivors
44 (25–69)
44 (24–66)
29 (16–52)
     Hospital nonsurvivors
15 (6–31)
14 (5–28)
11 (4–25)
Destination following discharge from hospital housing critical care unit (n [%])
Another acute hospital
41 (6.5)
29 (5.5)
537 (6.8)
     Hospice or equivalent
8 (1.3)
8 (1.5)
40 (0.5)
     Long-term institutional care
13 (2.0)
12 (2.3)
126 (1.6)
     Rehabilitation unit
43 (6.8)
35 (6.6)
549 (7.0)
     Normal residence
531 (83.5)
446 (84.2)
6,652 (84.2)

aFourteen (1.1%) admissions had no evidence to assess past medical history. Evidence defined as follows, during prior 6 months (except those terms highlighted with asterisk, which are not restricted to the preceding 6 months): liver (biopsy proven cirrhosis, portal hypertension, hepatic encephalopathy); cardiovascular (very severe cardiovascular disease [New York Heart Association functional classification IV]); respiratory (severe respiratory disease [shortness of breath with light activity, for example walking 20 m on level ground], home ventilation); renal (chronic renal replacement therapy for irreversible renal disease); immunosuppressed (AIDS*, steroid treatment [daily], radiotherapy, chemotherapy, metastatic disease, acute myelogenous/lymphocytic leukaemia or multiple myeloma, chronic myelogenous/lymphocytic leukaemia, lymphoma, congenital immunohumoral or cellular immune deficiency state*). bSurgical admissions are defined as those admitted directly to the unit from theatre and recovery. cPrimary site of infection was not reported for 110 (8.5%) admissions. dA blood culture was reported as not done for 181 (14.0%) admissions. eDischarged alive from acute hospital at or before 28 days. fExcluding readmissions within the same hospital stay. APACHE, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; DrotAA, Drotrecogin alfa (activated); ICNARC, Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre; IQR, interquartile range; SD, standard deviation.

Rowan et al. Critical Care 2008 12:R58   doi:10.1186/cc6879