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Table 2 Description of the blood stream infection episodes at the time of the first positive blood culture drawing according to the sepsis type (i.e. primary or secondary sepsis).

From: Impact of previous sepsis on the accuracy of procalcitonin for the early diagnosis of blood stream infection in critically ill patients

Mean (SD) or number (%)

Primary sepsis n = 117

Secondary sepsis n = 62

p

Time elapsed from ICU admission (N. of days)

2.0 (2.4)

15.6 (16.9)

< 0.0001

SOFA score

6.9 (4.1)

7.2 (3.9)

0.706

Platelet count (cell/mm3)

185,459 (118,375)

235,935 (183,485)

0.028

Creatininemia (μmol/L)

198.7 (168.5)

163.2 (129.2)

0.149

Prothrombin time (%)

58.8 (21.9)

62.8 (19.9)

0.248

Septic shock

60 (51.7)

31 (50.0)

0.302

Nosocomial sepsis ICU acquired sepsis

34 (35.8) 31 (26.5)

62 (100) 52 (83.9)

< 0.0001 < 0.0001

Infection source

  

0.002

Lung

30 (25.6)

12 (19.3)

0.447

Abdominal

23 (19.7)

18 (29.0)

0.217

Soft tissues

13 (11.1)

4 (6.4)

0.456

Urinary tract

24 (20.5)

2 (3.2)

0.004

Miscellaneous

9 (7.7)

5 (8.1)

0.480

Unknown

18 (15.4)

21 (33.9)

0.008

Involved pathogen bacteria

113 (95.6)

41 (64.4)

< 0.0001

Gram positive

51 (43.6)

20 (32.2)

 

Gram negative

62 (53.0)

21 (33.9)

 

fungi

   

Candida spp

4 (3.4)

21 (33.9)

 

Previous exposure to antibiotic therapy with in vitro activity against the involved pathogen

16 (13.7)

21 (33.9)

0.003

Previous exposure to steroids

9 (7.7)

23 (37.1)

< 0.0001

Time elapsed between bacteremia onset and PCT sampling (N. of minutes)

   

Mean (SD)

-169.7 (382.6)

6.3 (455.4)

0.011

Median [range]

-13.0 [-1072–720]

0.0 [-720–720]

 
  1. ICU: Intensive Care Unit; SOFA: Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment.