| Early defecation group | Late defecation group | P value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
(n = 186) | (n = 96) | ||||
Age, years | 68 | (59–78) | 70 | (54–80) | 0.96 |
Male, n (%) | 107 | (58) | 51 | (53) | 0.48 |
BMI, kg/m2 | 21 | (19–24) | 22 | (20–24) | 0.34 |
Physiological and laboratory findings on admission | |||||
 Body temperature, °C | 36.5 | (36.0–37.2) | 36.5 | (35.8–36.9) | 0.22 |
 WBC count, ×1000/μL | 11 | (8–16) | 11 | (8–15) | 0.87 |
 Serum CRP, mg/dL | 0.7 | (0.1–6.0) | 0.2 | (0.1–0.7) | 0.003 |
 APACHE II score | 13 | (9–21) | 16 | (9–21) | 0.67 |
 SOFA score | 4 | (2–6) | 4 | (2–5) | 0.14 |
Diagnosis on admission, n (%) | Â | Â | Â | Â | 0.079 |
 Cardiovascular disease | 37 | (20) | 21 | (22) |  |
 Neurological disorder or stroke | 60 | (32) | 46 | (48) |  |
 Infection | 27 | (15) | 6 | (6) |  |
 External causes (e.g., trauma, intoxication, burn) | 33 | (18) | 13 | (14) |  |
 Post cardiac arrest | 11 | (6) | 4 | (4) |  |
 Others | 18 | (10) | 6 | (6) |  |
Time (days) from admission to the: | |||||
 First defecation | 3 | (2–4) | 7 | (6–8) | <0.001 |
 First intervention to promote elimination | 3 | (2–4) | 6 | (4–7) | <0.001 |
 Initiation of enteral nutrition | 2 | (2–3) | 3 | (3–5) | <0.001 |
Mechanical ventilation, n (%) | 75 | (40) | 59 | (61) | 0.001 |
Sedative use, n (%) | 73 | (39) | 71 | (74) | <0.001 |
Fentanyl use, n (%) | 24 | (13) | 28 | (29) | 0.001 |
Vasopressor use, n (%) | 49 | (26) | 26 | (27) | 0.89 |
Surgery, n (%) | 34 | (18) | 41 | (43) | <0.001 |
Type of surgery, n (%) | Â | Â | Â | Â | 0.26 |
 Neurological | 25 | (74) | 35 | (85) |  |
 Cardiovascular | 1 | (3) | 2 | (5) |  |
 Orthopedic | 5 | (15) | 1 | (2) |  |
 Debridement of skin and subcutaneous tissue | 3 | (9) | 2 | (5) |  |
 Others | 0 | (0) | 1 | (2) |  |