Table 1

Case mix, outcome and activity for admissions with primary or secondary reason for admission to ICU of asthma


All (n = 2152)
Mechanically ventilateda (n = 1223)
Not mechanically ventilateda (n = 929)

Case mix



     Age (mean ± SD; years)
43.6 ± 19.2
47.4 ± 18.6
38.6 ± 18.8
     Sex (% male)
33.2
34.8
31.0
     Steroid treatment during previous 6 months (%)
14.1
13.9
14.3
     CPR within 24 hours before ICU admission (%)
8.0
12.4
2.0
     Neurological insult during the first 24 hours (%)
10.3
17.0
1.5
     Highest heart rate (mean ± SD; beats/min)
133 ± 21.8
134 ± 21.9
132 ± 21.7
     Highest nonventilated respiratory rate (mean ± SD; breaths/min)
30 ± 10.3
26 ± 9.8
32 ± 9.9
     Lowest PaO2 (median [IQR]; kPa)
10.9 (9.3–13.4)
10.7 (9.2–12.9)
11.3 (9.4–14.3)
     pH from ABG with lowest PaO2 (median [IQR])
7.37 (7.29–7.42)
7.34 (7.25–7.40)
7.40 (7.35–7.44)
     PaCO2 from ABG with lowest pH (median [IQR]; kPa)
6.9 (5.2–9.5)
8.2 (6.3–10.7)
5.3 (4.5–6.6)
     Acute Physiology Score (mean ± SD)b
11.0 ± 5.5
12.5 ± 5.7
8.6 ± 4.2
     APACHE II score (mean ± SD)b
13.8 ± 6.6
15.7 ± 6.7
11.0 ± 5.2
Outcomec



     Mortality in CMP unit (n [%])
133 (6.3)
123 (10.3)
10 (1.1)
     Mortality in any hospital (n [%])
199 (9.8)
177 (15.4)
22 (2.5)
Activity



     Stay in CMP unit (median [IQR]; days)
1.5 (0.7–3.5)
2.6 (1.3–6.7)
0.8 (0.5–1.5)
     Stay in any hospital (median [IQR]; days)
8 (5–15)
10 (6–19)
6 (4–10)
     Transfers in from another hospital (%)
11.8
17.4
4.4
     Readmissions within the same hospital stay (%)
2.3
2.1
2.6

aDuring first 24 hours after admission to the Case Mix Programme (CMP) unit. b248 (11.5%) admissions aged <16 years or staying <8 hours in the intensive care unit (ICU) excluded from the calculation of Acute Physiology Score and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score. cExcluding 50 (2.3%) readmissions to ICU within the same hospital stay. ABG, arterial blood gas; IQR, interquartile range; PaO2, arterial oxygen tension; SD, standard deviation.

Gupta et al. Critical Care 2004 9(Suppl 3):S14   doi:10.1186/cc3746