Patients Hospitalized in General Wards via the Emergency Department: Early Identification of Predisposing Factors for Death or Unexpected Intensive Care Unit Admission—A Historical Prospective

Table 2

Clinical and biological variables linked to the target event (death or unplanned ICU or HDU admission during the first 15 days of hospitalization).

	Missing values; (%)	Patients with target event; (𝑛=77)	Patients free of target event; (𝑛=4542)	𝑃 value^c
Categorical variables
Male gender	0	53 (68.8%)	2443 (53.8%)	0.0107
Underlying diseases and past medical; unknown history	0	6 (7.8%)	194 (4.3%)	0.147
COPD	0	13 (16.9%)	375 (8.3%)	0.012
Solid unresolved cancer	0	1 (1.3%)	291 (6.4%)	0.0916
Chronic arterial hypertension	0	30 (39%)	954 (21%)	0.0004
Coronaropathy	0	12 (15.6%)	460 (10.1%)	0.1268
Diabetes mellitus type II	0	13 (16.9%)	364 (7.7%)	0.0082
Diabetes mellitus type I or II	0	16 (20.8%)	592 (12.7%)	0.0558
Unknown current medications	0	16 (20.8%)	473 (10.4%)	0.0075
Beta-blockers	0	16 (20.8%)	506 (11.1%)	0.0162
Diuretics	0	16 (20.8%)	588 (12.9%)	0.0582
Oral anticoagulant	0	10 (13%)	368 (8.1%)	0.1375
NSAID	0	18 (23.4%)	635 (14%)	0.03
Psychoactive drugs	0	31 (40.3%)	1459 (32.1%)	0.1404
Admission for possible bacterial infection^a	0	27 (37.1%)	1064 (23.4%)	0.0212
Admission for acute intoxication	0	1 (1.3%)	646 (14.2%)	0.0002
Oxygen administration during the ED stay	0	36 (46.8%)	742 (16.3%)	<0.0001
Presence of SIRS^b during the ED stay	0	51 (53.7%)	953 (31.8%)	<0.0001
Continuous variables
Age (yrs)	0	66.6±16.6	55±21.1	<0.0001
Minimal heart rate (beats/min)	0	85±17	82±18	0.1323
Maximal heart rate (beats/min)	0	96±20	89±19	0.0029
Minimal systolic blood pressure (mmHg)	0	125±29	131±26	0.0258
Minimal diastolic blood pressure (mmHg)	0	68±19	71±16	0.1042
Minimal body temperature (°C)	0	36.7±0.74	36.9±0.79	0.111
Capillary blood glucose level (g/L)	21.8	1.51±0.76; (𝑛=65)	1.26±0.6; (𝑛=3545)	0.0007
Minimal SpO2 (%)	29.6	93±7; (𝑛=67)	96±4; (𝑛=3185)	<0.0001
Minimal respiratory rate (cycles/min)	37.8	22±5; (𝑛=61)	20±5; (𝑛=2813)	0.04
Maximal respiratory rate (cycles/min)	37.8	26±9; (𝑛=61)	22±6; (𝑛=2813)	<0.0001
Platelet count (G/L)	12.2	200±98; (𝑛=74)	230±88; (𝑛=3981)	0.0041
Neutrophils count (G/L)	12.2	8.4±4.8; (𝑛=74)	7.1±5.9; (𝑛=3981)	0.056
Prothrombin time (INR)	13.2	1.75±1.7; (𝑛=70)	1.23±0.72; (𝑛=3938)	<0.0001
Serum chloride (mEq/L)	13.6	99.8±7.3; (𝑛=77)	101.7±5.5; (𝑛=3914)	0.0027
Blood protein level (g/L)	13.6	68.7±7.4; (𝑛=77)	70±7.5; (𝑛=3914)	0.1312
Serum creatinine (𝜇mol/L)	13.6	126±108; (𝑛=77)	99±80; (𝑛=3914)	0.0097
Anion gap (mEq/L)	13.6	14.2±4.5; (𝑛=77)	13.1±3.7; (𝑛=3914)	0.0077

aAdmission for possible bacterial infection: recent fever and/or antibiotics prescribed before or during ED admission. bAs respiratory rate was not recorded in 37.8% of the cases and leukocytes count was not performed in 12.2% of the cases, the incidence of SIRS was underestimated; ccategorical variables were compared by Fisher’s exact test and continuous variables by unpaired two-tailed Student’s 𝑡-test.
ICU: intensive care unit; HDU: high dependency unit; COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; ACEI: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors; ARB: angiotensin receptor blockers; ED: emergency department; NSAID: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; SIRS: systemic inflammatory response syndrome; SpO₂: oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry.