Table 1 Patient and Infection characteristics
From: The use of antibiotics in the intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital in Malawi
| Variable |
n (%) N = 640 |
|---|---|
| Male sex | 326 (51.0%) |
| Age in yrs. Median (IQR) | 32 (22–45) |
| Specialty | |
| Surgery | 213 (33.3%) |
| Medicine | 131 (20.5%) |
| Obstetrics and Gynaecology | 108 (16.9%) |
| Neurosurgery | 105 (16.4%) |
| Peadiatrics | 39 (6.1%) |
| Ear, Nose and Throat | 19 (3.0%) |
| Othera | 25 (4.0%) |
| Admitted from | |
| Theatre | 352 (55.0%) |
| Emergency department | 137 (21.4%) |
| Ward | 128 (20.0%) |
| Recovery room | 3 (0.5%) |
| Other | 20 (3.1%) |
| Diagnosis | |
| Serious Infectionb | 141 (22.0%) |
| Non-communicable diseasec | 133 (20.8%) |
| Traumad | 103 (16.1%) |
| Bowel perforation or obstructione | 98 (15.3%) |
| Post-delivery or abortion care | 43 (6.7%) |
| Acute respiratory diseasef | 35 (5.5%) |
| Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia | 16 (2.5%) |
| Other/ Unknown | 71 (11.1%) |
| Length of stay in days Median (IQR) | 2 (1–4) |
| Duration of care with antibiotics in the ICU Median (IQR) | 2 (1–4) |
| ICU mortality | 223 (34.8%) |
| Length of stay for those who died Median (IQR) | 2 (1–5) |
| Hospital Mortality | 291 (45.5%) |