Evaluation time of primary and secondary outcomes
| Outcomes | Before treatment, D0 | Immediately after the 1st intervention, D1 | Immediately after the 5th intervention, D5 | Immediately after the 10th intervention, D10 |
| Primary outcomes | ||||
| SpO2 | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| RR | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Secondary outcomes | ||||
| The TCM syndrome score | √ | √ | ||
| Infection-related index | ||||
| WBC, CRP, PCT, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10 | √ | √ | ||
| Ventilator-related indicators | ||||
| VT, platform pressure, PEEP, mechanical ventilation time | √ | √ | ||
| Blood gas analysis-related indicators | ||||
| PaO2, PaCO2, OI, Lac | √ | √ |
CRP, C reactive protein; IL, interleukin; Lac, lactic acid; OI, Oxygenation Index; PCT, procalcitonin; PEEP, positive end-expiratory pressure; RR, respiratory rate; TCM, traditional Chinese medicine; TNF-α, tumour necrosis factor alpha; VT, tidal volume; WBC, white blood cell.