Table 1 Baseline demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics of ICU patients with COVID-19 sepsis and bacterial sepsis.

From: Prospective observational study of cell-free DNA as a prognostic biomarker in COVID-19 and bacterial sepsis: COVSEP-study

Characteristics

COVID-19 sepsis (n = 27)

Bacterial sepsis (n = 37)

Total (n = 64)

p-values

Mean age (SD) – yr

54 (19)

72 (12)

64 (18)

 < 0.001*a

Sex – no. (%)

Female

9 (33.3)

15 (40.5)

24 (37.5)

0.56

Male

18 (66.7)

22 (59.5)

40 (62.5)

Pre-existing conditions – no. (%)

ASA I-II

14 (51.9)

13 (35.1)

27 (42.2)

0.18

ASA III-IV

13 (48.1)

24 (64.2)

37 (57.8)

Obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2)

15 (55.6)

10 (27)

25 (39.1)

0.02*

Hypertension

14 (51.9)

26 (70.3)

40 (62.5)

0.13

Chronic cardiac disease

4 (14.8)

24 (64.9)

28 (43.8)

 < 0.001*

Chronic pulmonary disease

9 (33.3)

13 (35.1)

22 (34.4)

0.88

Chronic renal disease

5 (18.5)

16 (43.2)

21 (32.8)

0.04*

Type 2 diabetes

15 (55.6)

10 (27)

25 (39.1)

0.57

No pre-existing conditions

5 (18.5)

3 (8.1)

8 (12.5)

0.21

Overall cfDNA concentrations arithmetic Mean (SD)

cfDNA 222 bp (ng/mL)

163 (274)

57 (38)

102 (186)

0.025*a

cfDNA 90 bp (ng/mL)

2820 (9967)

429 (530)

1438 (6525)

0.006*a

cfDNA concentrations (Median ± IQR) [90 bp (ng/mL)]

1. Measurement

n = 27

664 (277, 833)

n = 36

234 (160, 604)

n = 64

378 (174, 759)

0.021*

2. Measurement

n = 22

505 (226, 885)

n = 33

226 (136, 343)

n = 55

291 (159, 615)

0.004*

3. Measurement

n = 21

369 (168, 836)

(n = 25)

162 (103, 283)

n = 46

217 (133, 390)

0.005*

4. Measurement

n = 9

297 (131, 454)

n = 17

128 (75, 245)

n = 26

139 (87, 369)

0.26

cfDNA concentrations (Median ± IQR) [222 bp (ng/mL)]

1. Measurement

n = 27

73 (41, 125)

n = 36

38 (28, 67)

n = 64

52 (30, 89)

0.021*

2. Measurement

n = 22

69 (36, 197)

n = 33

39 (26, 55)

n = 55

44 (34, 80)

0.003*

3. Measurement

n = 21

55 (30, 116)

n = 25

42 (25, 66)

n = 46

46 (26, 85)

0.24

4. Measurement

n = 9

40 (24, 94)

n = 17

29 (22, 50)

n = 26

31 (21, 71)

0.60

Integrity-Index (Mean ± SD) [222 bp (ng/ml): 90 bp (ng/mL)]

1. Measurement

0.15 (0.07)

0.19 (0.15)

0.17 (0.12)

0.48a

2. Measurement

0.18 (0.06)

0.19 (0.11)

0.19 (0.09)

0.92a

3. Measurement

0.16 (0.06)

0.31 (0.22)

0.24 (0.18)

 < 0.001*a

4. Measurement

0.2 (0.12)

0.28 (0.21)

0.25 (0.18)

0.44a

Infection parameters (Mean ± SD)

CRP (mg/L)

135 (99)

236 (98)

194 (109)

 < 0.001*a

PCT (ng/mL)

1.2 (1.9)

21 (32)

12 (26)

 < 0.001*a

LDH (U/l)

678 (847)

346 (331)

486 (621)

 < 0.001*a

Lactate (mmol/L)

2.1 (1.5)

3.2 (3.3)

2.7 (2.7)

0.18a

Clinical Outcome Parameters (Mean ± SD)

SOFA-Score max

13 (5.2)

13 (4.5)

13 (4.8)

0.94a

SOFA-Score min

6 (4.3)

5 (4.5)

5.4 (4.4)

0.33a

Hospital LOS (d)

25 (25)

38 (26)

32 (27)

0.002*a

ICU LOS (d)

18 (20)

16 (18)

17 (19)

0.68a

30-day mortality

10 (40%)

11 (31%)

21 (34%)

0.46

180-day mortality

14 (58%)

18 (55%)

32 (56%)

0.78

Complications – no. (%)

Pulmonary

    

ARDS

13 (48)

6 (16)

19 (30)

0.006*

ECMO therapy

7 (26)

1 (3)

8 (12)

0.006*

Duration of ventilation (d)

16 (20)

9.7 (10)

12 (16)

0.047*a

Re-Intubation

4 (15)

16 (43)

20 (31)

0.015*

Tracheotomy

9 (33)

4 (11)

13 (20)

0.027*

Minimal Horovitz-Index (Mean ± SD)

81 (38)

139 (74)

114 (67)

 < 0.001*

Thromboembolism

    

Mesenteric ischemia

0 (0)

3 (8)

3 (5)

0.13

Pulmonary artery embolus

2 (7)

2 (5)

4 (6)

0.75

Neurological

    

Delirium

4 (15)

15 (41)

19 (30)

0.026*

Renal

    

AKI w/o CRRT

4 (15)

13 (35)

17 (27)

0.07

AKI with CRRT

11 (41)

14 (38)

25 (39)

0.82

Cardiac

    

CPR

4 (15)

2 (5)

6 (9)

0.2

Atrial fibrillation

4 (15)

15 (41)

19 (30)

0.026*

  1. AKI Acute kidney injury, ARDS Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, ASA American Society of Anesthesiologists Score, bp base pairs, BMI Body Mass Index, cfDNA cell free DNA, CRP C-reactive Protein, CRRT continuous renal replacement therapy, ct-value crossing threshold value, d, days, ECMO Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation, IQR interquartile range, L liter, LDH Lactate dehydrogenase, LOS length of stay, max maximum, mg milligram, min minimum, mL milliliter, mmol millimoles, ng nanogram, * p < 0.05, PCT Procalcitonin, SD standard deviation, SOFA-Score Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score, U Units. Pearson’s Chi-squared test unless a Mann–Whitney’s U test.
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