Predicting Mortality in Patients with Tuberculous Destroyed Lung Receiving Mechanical Ventilation

Kim, Won-Young; Kim, Mi-Hyun; Jo, Eun-Jung; Eom, Jung Seop; Mok, Jeongha; Kim, Ki Uk; Park, Hye-Kyung; Lee, Min Ki; Lee, Kwangha

The present study had several limitations. First, the study was retrospective and conducted at a single center. Although the study enrolled more mechanically ventilated TDL cases than previous studies, the sample size was relatively small and likely to have been responsible for some of the insignificant results. Moreover, the relatively long study period (>10 years) may have introduced selection and information bias. Second, in attempting to identify risk factors for mortality, high specificity was obtained at the expense of lower sensitivity, as a substantial proportion of patients who died did not have a high TDL-Vent score. Third, a substantial number of patients were excluded from the echocardiography and pulmonary function analyses due to missing data. The inclusion of these patients might have influenced the study results. Lastly, the present study provided a development set only, and the results therefore require independent validation.