Volume 11, Number 2—February 2005
Dispatch
Late Recognition of SARS in Nosocomial Outbreak, Toronto
Thomas Wong*†
, Tamara Wallington‡, L. Clifford McDonald§, Zahid Abbas*, Michael Christian†, Donald E. Low†, Denise Gravel*, Marianna Ofner*†, Barbara Mederski¶, Lisa Berger‡, Lisa Hansen*, Cheryl Harrison¶, Arlene King*, Barbara Yaffe‡, and Theresa Tam*
, Tamara Wallington‡, L. Clifford McDonald§, Zahid Abbas*, Michael Christian†, Donald E. Low†, Denise Gravel*, Marianna Ofner*†, Barbara Mederski¶, Lisa Berger‡, Lisa Hansen*, Cheryl Harrison¶, Arlene King*, Barbara Yaffe‡, and Theresa Tam*Table 2
Proportion of patients with late SARS recognition by clinical characteristics, Toronto, hospital X, April 17–June 8, 2003*
| Characteristics | Late SARS recognition/total SARS (%) | RR (95% CI) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postoperative | 5.3 (1.8–16.2) | 0.001 | |
| Yes | 8/11 (72.7) | ||
| No | 3/22 (13.6) | ||
| Maximum temperature during hospitalization (°C) | 0.8 (0.3–3.1) |
1.0 |
|
| <38.8 | 5/15 (33.3) | ||
| >38.8 |
6/15 (40.0) |
||
| First symptom includes | |||
| Fever | 1.0 (0.2–5.4) | 1.0 | |
| Yes | 10/30 (33.3) | ||
| No | 1/3 (33.3) | ||
| Cough | 0.7 (0.2–2.6) | 0.7 | |
| Yes | 2/8 (25.0) | ||
| No | 9/25 (36.0) | ||
| Dyspnea | 0.4 (0.1–2.4) | 0.4 | |
| Yes | 1/7 (14.3) | ||
| No | 10/26(38.5) | ||
| Diarrhea | 0.6 (0.1–3.5) | 0.6 | |
| Yes | 1/5 (20.0) | ||
| No | 10/28 (35.7) | ||
| Nausea/vomiting | 3.2 (1.9–5.4) |
0.3 |
|
| Yes | 1/1 (100) | ||
| No |
10/32 (31.3) |
||
| Admitted to ICU | 1.4 (0.5–3.8) | 0.7 | |
| Yes | 6/15 (40.0) | ||
| No | 5/18 (27.8) | ||
| Supplemental oxygen | 5.0 (0.7–34.2) | 0.054 | |
| Yes | 10/22 (45.5) | ||
| No | 1/11 (9.1) | ||
| Mechanical ventilation | 0.8 (0.3–2.3) | 0.7 | |
| Yes | 3/11 (27.3) | ||
| No | 8/22 (36.4) | ||
| Death | 1.3 (0.5–3.5) |
0.7 |
|
| Yes | 4/10 (40.0) | ||
| No |
7/23 (30.4) |
||
| Treatment with | |||
| Ribavirin | UD | 1.0 | |
| Yes | 0/2 (0) | ||
| No | 10/30 (33.3) | ||
| Corticosteroids | 0.3 (0.1–1.1) | 0.06 | |
| Yes | 2/15 (13.3) | ||
| No | 8/17 (47.1) | ||
| Antimicrobial drugs | 1.0 (0.3–3.0) | 1.0 | |
| Yes | 8/24 (33.3) | ||
| No | 3/9 (33.3) | ||
*SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome; RR, relative risk; CI, confidence interval; UD, undefined; ICU, intensive care unit.
