Gastrointestinal manifestations of critical ill heatstroke patients and their associations with outcomes: A multicentre, retrospective, observational study

Table 8 Heat stroke patient characteristics according to duration of gastrointestinal symptoms¹

	Last < 4 d, n = 96	Last ≥ 4 d, n = 36	P value
Characteristic
Age, median (IQR), yr	70.0 (61.5-78.3)	67.0 (59.0-76.0)	0.659
Female sex, n (%)	43 (44.8)	17 (47.2)	0.803
Body temperature on admission
Patients, n (%)	96 (100.0)	36 (100.0)	-
Temperature, median (IQR), °C	41.0 (40.0-41.5)	41.0 (40.0-42.0)	0.948
Complaints and symptoms on admission, n (%)
Fever	69 (71.9)	24 (66.7)	0.559
Altered mental state or behavior	39 (40.6)	16 (44.4)	0.692
Dry skin or excessive sweating	16 (16.7)	4 (11.1)	0.428
Rubefaction	9 (9.4)	2 (5.6)	0.889
Fast pulse	32 (33.3)	8 (22.2)	0.767
Polypnea	31 (32.3)	7 (19.4)	0.147
Headache	2 (2.1)	1 (2.8)	0.811
Syncope	67 (69.8)	18 (50.0)	0.034
Other	19 (19.8)	8 (22.2)	0.758
Laboratory findings, median (IQR)
White-cell count, 109/L	11.0 (7.5-14.2)	7.3 (9.2-16.3)	0.062
Hemoglobin, g/L	122.0 (110.5-135.5)	118.0 (106.0-132.5)	0.941
Albumin, g/L	37.0 (33.3-39.7)	34.4 (31.1-36.4)	0.031
Complications, n (%)
Disturbance of water and electrolyte	69 (71.9)	20 (55.6)	0.075
Rhabdomyolysis	28 (29.2)	6 (16.7)	0.144
Hemorrhage of digestive tract	28 (29.2)	7 (19.4)	0.26
Myocardial damage	50 (52.1)	20 (55.6)	0.722
Disseminated intravascular coagulation	27 (27.8)	20 (54.2)	0.007
Acute respiratory distress syndrome	12 (12.0)	20 (54.2)	< 0.001
Clinical outcomes at data cutoff, n (%)
Hospital discharge	54 (56.3)	10 (27.8)	0.004
Death	17 (17.7)	9 (25.0)	0.348
Still hospitalization	21 (21.9)	12 (33.3)	0.176
Transferred to another hospital	4 (4.2)	5 (13.9)	0.048

¹Nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, flatulence, or bloody stools are defined as gastrointestinal symptoms.

IQR: Interquartile range.