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Table 4 Factors impacting BAL diagnostic yield (*p < 0.05)

From: Utility of bronchoalveolar lavage in the management of immunocompromised patients presenting with lung infiltrates

 

Negative BAL n (%)

Positive BAL n (%)

p-value

Total

85 (39.2%)

132 (60.8%)

 

Male gender

54 (63.5%)

98 (74.2)

0.098

Mean age in years ± SD

52.4 ± 14.6

51.3 ± 14.6

0.588

Current smokers

10 (11.8%)

17 (12.9%)

1.000

Cause of immunosuppression:

 HIV/ AIDS

12 (14.1%)

47 (35.6%)

0.001*

 High dose corticosteroids

8 (9.4%)

8 (6.1%)

0.428

 Steroid-sparing immunosuppressive medication

17 (20.0%)

27 (20.5%)

1.000

 Hematologic malignancy

46 (54.1%)

49 (37.1%)

0.017*

  Leukemia

30 (35.3%)

25 (18.9%)

0.010*

  Lymphoma

14 (16.5%)

17 (12.9%)

0.552

  Myelodysplastic

2 (2.4%)

4 (3.0%)

1.000

  Multiple myeloma

0 (0%)

3 (2.3%)

0.282

 Chemotherapy

54 (63.5%)

50 (37.9%)

< 0.001*

 Neutropenia

32 (37.6%)

40 (21.6%)

0.302

  Mild (ANC 1000–1499/μl)

8 (9.6%)

4 (3.1%)

0.127

  Moderate (ANC 500–999/μl)

7 (8.4%)

6 (4.6%)

 

  Severe (ANC < 500/μl)

16 (19.3%)

29 (22.1%)

 

Clinical presentation:

 Fever

60 (74.1%)

86 (65.6%)

0.224

 Cough

38 (46.9%)

78 (59.5%)

0.089

 Dyspnea

26 (32.1%)

53 (40.5%)

0.244

 Pleurisy

7 (8.6%)

12 (9.2%)

1.000

Median symptom duration in days (IQR)

15 (8–66)

19 (11–65.5)

0.017*

Treatment at the time of BAL:

 Antibiotics

75 (90.4%)

117 (90.0%)

1.000

 Median duration antibiotics in days (IQR)

7 (4, 10)

6 (3, 11)

0.477

 Antifungals

33 (38.8%)

50 (37.9%)

0.887

 Antivirals

43 (50.6%)

60 (45.5%)

0.488

Radiologic presentation on CT (n = 181):

 Consolidation

44 (54.3%)

57 (57.0%)

0.764

 Ground glass opacities

42 (51.9%)

51 (51.0%)

1.000

 Tree-in-bud appearance

11 (13.6%)

7 (7.0%)

0.211

 Reticular pattern

3 (3.7%)

8 (8.0%)

0.350

 Nodules

32 (39.5%)

31 (31.0%)

0.273

 Cavitation

6 (7.5%)

14 (14.0%)

0.233

BAL segments:

 Upper lobes

44 (51.8%)

62 (47.7%)

0.579

 Right middle lobe

26 (30.6%)

32 (24.6%)

0.350

 Lower lobes

32 (37.6%)

53 (40.8%)

0.671