Data collection
Baseline patient characteristics collected consisted of age, sex, weight (kg), Mc Cabe score (A, B, C), coexisting conditions, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II, Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), and main cause of admission to the ICU. Serum sodium level (mmol/L), serum potassium level (mmol/L), serum bicarbonate level (mmol/L), serum creatinine level (mg/dL), and arterial PaO