Outcome, quality of life (QoL) and post-intensive care unit (ICU) burden according to the severity of dyspnoea on ICU admission and after the first noninvasive ventilation (NIV) session
| All patients (n=426) | Dyspnoea on ICU admission | Dyspnoea after first NIV session | |||||
| Light or no dyspnoea (n=192) | Moderate-to-severe dyspnoea (n=234) | p-value | Light or no dyspnoea (n=260) | Moderate-to-severe dyspnoea (n=166) | p-value | ||
| ICU discharge | |||||||
| ICU length of stay days | 6 (3–10) | 5 (3–9) | 6 (3–12) | 0.74 | 5 (3–8) | 6 (3–15) | 0.001 |
| ICU mortality (n=416) | 47 (11) | 25 (13) | 22 (10) | 0.28 | 18 (7) | 29 (18) | 0.0008 |
| Hospital discharge | |||||||
| Hospital length of stay days | 8 (4–19) | 7 (4–15) | 8 (4–21) | 0.43 | 7 (4–13) | 12 (4–35) | <0.001 |
| Hospital mortality (n=390) | 77 (20) | 34 (19) | 43 (20) | 0.90 | 33 (14) | 44 (29) | 0.0002 |
| 90-day mortality (n=231) | 95 (41) | 46 (45) | 49 (38) | 0.28 | 45 (32) | 50 (54) | 0.004 |
| 90-day assessment in surviving patients (n=136) | |||||||
| SF-36 physical health (n=99) | 42 (39–48) | 42 (40–48) | 42 (39–48) | 0.81 | 42 (39–48) | 42 (40–47) | 0.82 |
| SF-36 mental health (n=103) | 47 (44–52) | 49 (45–52) | 47 (44–51) | 0.44 | 47 (43–51) | 47 (46–52) | 0.61 |
| HADS anxiety at day-90 (n=104) | 3 (2–8) | 3 (1–7) | 4 (2–8) | 0.39 | 3 (1–7) | 4 (2–8) | 0.60 |
| HADS depression at day-90 (n=101) | 4 (1–7) | 5 (1–8) | 4 (1–7) | 0.97 | 4 (1–7) | 4 (1–7) | 0.93 |
| IES–R at day-90 (n=101) | 3 (0–8) | 3 (0–10) | 2 (0–7) | 0.80 | 3 (0–9) | 2 (0–7) | 0.75 |
Data are presented as n (%) or median (interquartile range), unless otherwise stated. SF-36: 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (a questionnaire that assesses health-related quality of life by means of 36 short questions); HADS: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (a questionnaire that quantifies symptoms of anxiety and depression); IES-R: Impact of Event Scale-Revised (a questionnaire that assesses post-traumatic stress disorder related symptoms).