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Volume 16, Number 7—July 2010
Letter

Rapid Diagnostic Tests and Severity of Illness in Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, Taiwan

Tsui-Mai Kao, Un-In Wu, and Yee-Chun ChenComments to Author 
Author affiliations: National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei

Main Article

Table

Characteristics of 23 hospitalized patients with confirmed (n = 20) and suspected (n = 3) pandemic (H1N1) 2009, Taiwan*

Characteristic No mechanical ventilation (n = 8) Mechanical ventilation
Non-ECMO (n = 7) ECMO (n = 8)
Age, y
Mean ± SD 39.9 ± 12.8 44.4 ± 19.5 34.6 ± 15.0
>65, no. (%) 0 1 (14.3) 0
Male sex, no. (%) 4 (50) 2 (28.6) 4 (50)
BMI, median (IQR) 24.2 (21.2–31.3) 19.4 (17.3–22.6) 27.6(21.9–33.6)
No. (%) with other diseases
4 (50)
7 (100)
3 (37.5)†
Highest SOFA score, mean ± SD‡ 0.89 ± 0.93§ 9.7 ± 5.6 10.5 ± 4.0
SOFA score >4, no. (%) 7 (100) 8 (100)
APACHE II score, mean ± SD¶ 1. 6 ± 2.5§ 17 ± 6.9 19.6 ± 3.8
APACHE II score >15, no. (%)

5 (71.4)
8 (100)
Secondary bacterial infection
Streptococcus pneumoniae 1 0 1
β-Streptococci, non-A, B, D 0 0 1
Klebsiella pneumoniae
0
1
0
Duration from illness onset to first medical access, d, median (IQR) 2 (1–2.2) 3 (2.5–3) 2 (2–3)
RDT sensitivity, n/N (%) 8/8 (100) § 3/7 (42.9) 1/8 (12.5)
Duration from illness onset to antiviral therapy, d, median (IQR) 4 (3.8–5.8) 6 (4.5–6) 6.5 (5.5–7.2)
Duration of ICU stay, d, median (IQR) 0 (0–2)§ 15 (11.5–27.5) 49.5 (22.8–56.2)
Length of hospital stay, d, median (IQR) 5.5 (4–9.2)§ 27 (21.5–54.2) 55.5 (30.2–71.2)
28-day mortality rate, no. (%)
0
1 (14.3)
0
Complications
Ventilator dependent 0 3 3
Hemodialysis 0 0 1

*ECMO, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; BMI, body mass index; IQR, interquartile range; SOFA; Sequential Organ Failure Assessment; APACHE, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; RDT, rapid diagnostic test; ICU, intensive care unit.
†A 49-year-old man who had a renal transplant, a 17-year-old woman with congenital heart disease, and a 64-year-old man with diabetes and hypertension.
‡Range 0–24. Higher values indicate more severe disease.
§p<0.05 for 8 patients without mechanical ventilation vs. 15 patients with mechanical ventilation with and without ECMO support.
¶Range 0–71. Higher values indicate more severe disease.

Main Article

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Page updated: March 02, 2011
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