The 28-day mortality from all causes and in-hospital mortality, as well as Kaplan-Meier survival curves, were evaluated in the two groups as primary outcomes.
Secondary outcomes included patient respiratory frequency (), heart rate (HR), urine output, blood pressure, arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), lactate level, bilirubin level, and serum creatinine level, which were measured and assessed every 12 hours for 72 hours. Arterial blood gas values, lactate concentrations, coagulation-related variables, and clinical variables required for determination of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score (on a scale from 0 to 71, with higher scores indicating more severe organ dysfunction) were obtained at baseline (0 hour) and at 72 hours. Patients were followed up clinically for 28 days. The number of days of ICU hospitalization, length of time on mechanical ventilation, and renouncement rate of voluntary patient withdrawal from treatment in the two groups were also examined.