Table 1 Characteristics of septic patients classified according to developing secondary infection or not
|  | With secondary infection n = 92 | Without secondary infection n = 205 | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
Baseline characteristics | |||
 Age, median (25th,75th) | 66.5 (53.5–78.8) | 65 (52.3–75) | 0.323 |
   > 65 years, n (%) | 50 (54.3) | 105 (51.2) | 0.618 |
 Men, n (%) | 63 (68.5) | 132 (64.4) | 0.493 |
 Comorbidities, n (%) | |||
  None | 16 (17.4) | 40 (19.5) | 0.666 |
  Hypertension | 42 (45.7) | 82 (40) | 0.361 |
  Other cardiovascular diseasesa | 15 (16.3) | 25 (12.2) | 0.337 |
  Diabetes mellitus | 23 (25) | 46 (22.4) | 0.629 |
  Cerebrovascular diseases | 6 (6.5) | 13 (6.3) | 0.953 |
  Respiratory diseases | 9 (9.8) | 23 (11.2) | 0.712 |
  Hepatitis and cirrhosis | 3 (3.3) | 10 (4.9) | 0.761 |
  Renal insufficiency | 4 (4.3) | 15 (7.3) | 0.334 |
  Malignancy | 8 (8.7) | 17 (8.3) | 0.908 |
  Immunosuppression | 12 (13) | 24 (11.7) | 0.744 |
 Smoker, n (%) | 32 (34.8) | 69 (33.7) | 0.85 |
Site of infection, n (%) | |||
 Respiratory tract | 70 (76.1) | 146 (71.2) | 0.384 |
 Abdomen | 15 (16.3) | 47 (22.9) | 0.194 |
 Urinary tract | 8 (8.7) | 14 (6.8) | 0.57 |
 Skin and soft tissue | 6 (6.5) | 6 (2.9) | 0.203 |
 Blood stream | 2 (2.2) | 2 (1) | 0.59 |
 More than one sites | 8 (8.7) | 13 (6.3) | 0.464 |
In shock on admission, n (%) | 28 (30.4) | 49 (22.4) | 0.235 |
Severity of disease, median (25th,75th) | |||
 APACHE II score | 17 (9.25–22) | 11 (7–18) | 0.001 |
 SOFA score | 4 (3–8) | 4 (2.5–6) | 0.007 |
Monocyte HLA-DR expression (%)b | |||
 Day 1, mean (SD) | 31.6 (14.3) | 34.5 (14.9) | 0.364 |
 Day 3, median (25th,75th) | 28.6 (18.8–42) | 41.1 (27.5–50.4) | 0.048 |
 Day 7, median (25th,75th) | 29.6 (14.3–35.1) | 33.2 (13.8–65.4) | 0.722 |
Levels of serum cytokines (pg/ml)b | |||
 Day 1, median (25th,75th) | |||
  IL-6 | 26.8 (13.6–363.5) | 21.1 (7.5–58.2) | 0.025 |
  IL-8 | 36.3 (18.7–70) | 22.9 (12–77.5) | 0.375 |
  IL-10 | 8.6 (5.4–24) | 10 (9.3–17.8) | 0.121 |
 Day 3, median (25th,75th) |  |  |  |
  IL-6 | 628.5 (23.5–1694.5) | 640.5 (17.8–942.3) | 0.478 |
  IL-8 | 29.89 (20–106) | 8 (4.9–15.6) | < 0.001 |
  IL-10 | 21.7 (6.4–35.3) | 14.6 (5–27.7) | 0.303 |
 Day 7 | |||
  IL-6, median (25th,75th) | 921 (652–1377) | 754 (584–1004) | 0.226 |
  IL-8, median (25th,75th) | 11.1 (6–41.8) | 12.5 (5.7–14) | 0.79 |
  IL-10, mean (SD) | 60.6 (47.3) | 16.8 (10.4) | 0.035 |
Interventions, n (%)c | |||
 Glucocorticoid | 46 (50) | 80 (39) | 0.077 |
 Anticoagulation therapy | 33 (35.9) | 66 (32.2) | 0.535 |
 Mechanical ventilation | 68 (74) | 104 (50.7) | < 0.001 |
 Urinary catheterization | 72 (78.3) | 83 (40.5) | < 0.001 |
 Deep venous catheterization | 66 (71.7) | 74 (36.1) | < 0.001 |
 Continuous renal replacement therapy | 11 (12) | 19 (9.3) | 0.477 |
 Blood transfusion | 25 (27.2) | 30 (14.6) | 0.011 |
LOS (days), median (25th,75th) | |||
 In-hospital | 23.5 (12–34) | 22 (10–32.5) | < 0.001 |
 ICU | 11 (7–17) | 11 (6–16.5) | < 0.001 |
Mortality, n (%) | |||
 In-hospital | 42 (45.7) | 52 (25.4) | 0.001 |
 30-day | 32 (34.8) | 48 (23.4) | 0.041 |
 90-day | 39 (42.4) | 52 (25.4) | 0.003 |