Table 1

Clinical, epidemiological and outcome data


Low base excess group
Normal base excess group
P value

n (%)
134 (80)
34 (20)

Age (years)
63 ± 19
68 ± 14
0.15
Gender, male (%)
49
48
0.88
APACHE II score
16 ± 11
15 ± 8
0.41
APACHE II predicted mortality (%)
31 ± 27
26 ± 21
0.33
Actual mortality (%)
19
17
0.53
McCabe score
1.8 ± 0.7
1.8 ± 0.8
0.62
SOFA score
5 ± 5
4 ± 3
0.16
Medical/surgical admission (%)
47
82
0.0002
Type of surgical admission



Elective (%)
34
15
<0.03
Emergency (%)
15
3
0.06
Trauma (%)
3
0
0.31
Transferred from



Emergency department (%)
40
71
<0.002
General ward (%)
11
3
0.14
Time to intensive care unit admission (hours)
3 (1 to 5)
2 (2 to 5)
0.90
Shock (%)
46
24
0.02
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (%)
4
38
<0.0001
Sepsis (%)
23
21
0.75
Stroke
15
6
0.09
Mechanical ventilation (%)
40
35
0.22
Total bilirubin (mg%)
1.1 ± 1.2
1.1 ± 1.7
0.65
Plasma urea (mg%)
46 ± 31
54 ± 32
0.24
Plasma creatinine (mg%)
1.3 ± 0.7
1.1 ± 0.5
0.26

APACHE, Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation; SOFA, Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment.

Tuhay et al. Critical Care 2008 12:R66   doi:10.1186/cc6896