Table 1.
Respiratory distress classification.
| Degree of respiratory distress | Consciousness | Respiratory rate (times/min) | Peripheral oxygen saturation (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mild | Alert, good contact | 15–20 | 93–98 |
| Moderate | Alert, good contact | 20–25 | 88–93 |
| Severe | Apathetic, delirium | 25–30 | <88 |
Table 2.
Proposed RDCC.
| Variable | 0 points | 1 point | 2 points | 3 points | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consciousness | GCS 15 | - | - | GCS <15 | |
| Respiratory rate (times/per) | <15 | 16–20 | 21–25 | >26 | |
| Pulse oximetry (%) | 99–100 | 93–98 | 88–92 | <88 |
Table 3.
Baseline characteristics of study participants.
| Variable | N = 126 |
|---|---|
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 51.14 (15) |
| Gender, n (%) | |
| • Male | 78 (61.9) |
| • Female | 48 (38.1) |
| Primary diagnosis, n (%) | |
| • Pneumonia | 20 (15.9) |
| • Bronchiectasis | 11 (8.7) |
| • Tuberculosis | 38 (30.2) |
| • Lung malignancies | 38 (30.2) |
| • COVID-19 | 10 (7.9) |
| • COPD/asthma | 6 (4.8) |
| • Lung mycosis | 2 (1.6) |
| • Lung abscess | 1 (0.8) |
| Comorbid, n (%) | |
| • Hypertension | 24 (19.0) |
| • Diabetes mellitus | 31 (24.6) |
| • Cardiac dysfunction | 35 (27.8) |
| • Renal insufficiency | 35 (27.8) |
| • Liver insufficiency | 33 (26.2) |
| • Neurology insufficiency | 2 (1.6) |
| Respiratory distress status, n (%) | |
| • Mild | 12 (9.5) |
| • Moderate | 51 (40.5) |
| • Severe | 63 (50) |
Table 4.
Clinical outcome related to RDCC.
| Outcome | Mild, n (%) | Moderate, n (%) | Severe, n (%) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mortality | <0.001 | |||
| Alive | 12 (100) | 41 (80.4) | 33 (52.4) | |
| Death | 0 (0) | 10 (19.6) | 30 (47.6) | |
| Usage of high-flow oxygen | <0.001 | |||
| Not used | 12 (100) | 46 (90.2) | 36 (57.1) | |
| Used | 0 (0) | 5 (9.8) | 27 (42.9) |
Table 5.
RDCC as risk for mortality and use of high-flow oxygen.
| Respiratory distress statu | Mortality | Use of high-flow oxygen | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RR (95% CI) | P-value | RR (95% CI) | P-value | |
| Severe (compared to mild-moderate) | 3.00 (1.61–5.60) | 0.0006 | 5.40 (2.22–13.12) | 0.0002 |
Table 6.
Variables contributed to mortality in RDCC.
| Variable | Non-survivor (death in 30 days) (%) | Survivor (%) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 0.181 | ||
| • ≤65 | 30 (29.1) | 73 (30.9) | |
| • >65 | 10 (43.5) | 13 (56.5) | |
| Gender | 0.326 | ||
| • Male | 22 (28.2) | 56 (71.8) | |
| • Female | 18 (37.5) | 30 (62.5) | |
| Comorbid | |||
| • Hypertension | 7 (29.2) | 17 (70.8) | 0.763 |
| • Diabetes mellitus | 15 (48.4) | 16 (51.6) | 0.027 |
| • Cardiac dysfunction | 13 (37.1) | 22 (62.9) | 0.420 |
| • Renal insufficiency | 21 (60.0) | 14 (40.0) | <0.001 |
| • Liver insufficiency | 18 (54.5) | 15 (45.5) | 0.002 |
| • Neurology deficit | 1 (50.0) | 1 (50.0) | 0.536 |
| Respiratory distress status | <0.001 | ||
| • Mild-moderate | 10 (15.9) | 53 (84.1) | |
| • Severe | 30 (47.6) | 33 (52.4) |
Table 7.
Variables contributed to the use of high-flow oxygen in RDCC.
| Variable | Use of high-flow oxygen (%) | Not using high-flow oxygen (%) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 0.539 | ||
| ≤65 | 25 (24.3) | 78 (75.7) | |
| >65 | 7 (30.4) | 16 (69.6) | |
| Gender | 0.936 | ||
| Male | 20 (25.6) | 58 (74.4) | |
| Female | 12 (25.0) | 36 (75.0) | |
| Comorbid | |||
| Hypertension | 7 (29.2) | 17 (70.8) | 0.637 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 10 (32.3) | 21 (67.7) | 0.312 |
| Cardiac dysfunction | 19 (54.3) | 16 (45.7) | 0.001 |
| Renal insufficiency | 14 (40.0) | 21 (60.0) | 0.020 |
| Liver insufficiency | 11 (33.3) | 22 (66.7) | 0.223 |
| Neurology deficit | 1 (50.0) | 1 (50.0) | 0.420 |
| Respiratory distress status | <0.001 | ||
| Mild-moderate | 5 (7.9) | 58 (92.1) | |
| Severe | 27 (42.9) | 36 (57.1) |
Table 8.
Proportion of respiratory distress, mortality and use of high-flow oxygen based on lung diseases.
| Lung diseases | Total patients (n) | Severe respiratory distress (%) | Deaths (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pneumonia | 20 | 17 (85.0) | 9 (45.0) |
| Bronchiectasis | 11 | 7 (63.6) | 2 (18.2) |
| Tuberculosis | 38 | 10 (26.3) | 8 (21.1) |
| Lung malignancies | 38 | 15 (39.5) | 15 (39.5) |
| COVID-19 | 10 | 8 (80.0) | 6 (60.0) |
| COPD/asthma | 6 | 5 (83.3) | 0 (0.0) |
| Lung mycosis | 2 | 1 (50) | 0 (0.0) |
| Lung abscess | 1 | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |