Table 1.
Baseline patient characteristics, by elevated jugular venous pressure (JVP) status, before and after propensity matching
| Variable | Before matching | After matching | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal JVP (n = 6768) | Elevated JVP (n = 1020) | P Value | Normal JVP (n = 827) | Elevated JVP (n = 827) | P Value | |
| Age (year) | 64 ± 11 | 65 ± 11 | 0.001 | 65 ± 12 | 65 ± 11 | 0.335 |
| Female | 1660 (25%) | 266 (26%) | 0.284 | 229 (28%) | 219 (27%) | 0.629 |
| Non-white | 915 (14%) | 213 (21%) | <0.0001 | 147 (18%) | 150 (18%) | 0.900 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 27 ± 5 | 27 ± 5 | 0.258 | 28 ± 6 | 27 ± 5 | 0.195 |
| Duration of HF (months) | 30 ± 36 | 31 ± 39 | 0.130 | 32 ± 39 | 33 ± 40 | 0.761 |
| Primary cause of HF | ||||||
| Ischemic | 4724 (70%) | 636 (62%) | <0.0001 | 511 (62%) | 525 (64%) | 0.723 |
| Hypertensive | 679 (10%) | 126 (12%) | 119 (14%) | 101 (12%) | ||
| Idiopathic | 953 (14%) | 158 (16%) | 135 (16%) | 126 (15%) | ||
| Others | 412 (6%) | 100 (10%) | 62 (8%) | 75 (9%) | ||
| Prior myocardial infarction | 4344 (64%) | 564 (55%) | <0.0001 | 458 (55%) | 472 (57%) | 0.523 |
| Current angina pectoris | 1846 (27%) | 269 (26%) | 0.546 | 239 (29%) | 230 (28%) | 0.659 |
| Hypertension | 3142 (46%) | 532 (52%) | 0.001 | 434 (53%) | 419 (51%) | 0.486 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 1870 (28%) | 348 (34%) | <0.0001 | 268 (32%) | 270 (33%) | 0.958 |
| Medications | ||||||
| Pre-trial digoxin use | 2887 (43%) | 478 (47%) | 0.011 | 387 (47%) | 390 (47%) | 0.921 |
| Trial use of digoxin | 3391 (50%) | 498 (49%) | 0.446 | 408 (49%) | 407 (49%) | 1.000 |
| ACE inhibitors | 6314 (93%) | 960 (94%) | 0.322 | 769 (93%) | 779 (94%) | 0.363 |
| Diuretics | 5155 (76%) | 921 (90%) | <0.0001 | 729 (88%) | 732 (89%) | 0.873 |
| PS diuretics | 509 (8%) | 87 (9%) | 0.259 | 80 (10%) | 70 (9%) | 0.447 |
| Potassium supplement | 1854 (27%) | 345 (34%) | <0.0001 | 281 (34%) | 281 (34%) | 1.000 |
| Symptoms and signs of HF | ||||||
| Dyspnea at rest | 1179 (17%) | 526 (52%) | <0.0001 | 343 (42%) | 349 (42%) | 0.785 |
| Dyspnea on exertion | 4943 (73%) | 919 (90%) | <0.0001 | 739 (89%) | 727 (88%) | 0.372 |
| Third heart sound | 1320 (20%) | 526 (52%) | <0.0001 | 373 (45%) | 369 (45%) | 0.871 |
| Pulmonary rales | 766 (11%) | 535 (53%) | <0.0001 | 355 (43%) | 348 (42%) | 0.689 |
| Lower extremity edema | 1107 (16%) | 526 (52%) | <0.0001 | 374 (45%) | 350 (42%) | 0.203 |
| NYHA class, % | ||||||
| Class I | 1045 (15%) | 58 (6%) | <0.0001 | 53 (6%) | 55 (7%) | 0.889 |
| Class II | 3856 (57%) | 388 (38%) | 342 (41%) | 337 (41%) | ||
| Class III | 1787 (26%) | 500 (49%) | 396 (48%) | 389 (47%) | ||
| Class IV | 80 (1%) | 74 (7%) | 36 (4%) | 46 (6%) | ||
| Heart rate (beats /minute) | 78 ± 12 | 83 ± 14 | <0.0001 | 82 ± 13 | 82 ± 14 | 0.417 |
| Blood pressure (mm Hg) | ||||||
| Systolic | 128 ± 20 | 125 ± 21 | 0.001 | 126 ± 21 | 126 ± 21 | 0.651 |
| Diastolic | 75 ± 11 | 75 ± 12 | 0.622 | 75 ± 12 | 75 ± 12 | 0.449 |
| Chest radiograph findings | ||||||
| Pulmonary congestion | 679 (10%) | 430 (42%) | <0.0001 | 258 (31%) | 265 (32%) | 0.709 |
| Cardiothoracic ratio >0.5 | 3924 (58%) | 766 (75%) | <0.0001 | 606 (73%) | 604 (73%) | 0.954 |
| Serum creatinine (mg/dL) | 1.27 ± 0.36 | 1.34 ± 0.41 | <0.0001 | 1.33 ± 0.40 | 1.33 ± 0.41 | 0.793 |
| Serum potassium (mEq/L) | 4.34 ± 0.44 | 4.33 ± 0.45 | 0.366 | 4.34 ± 0.45 | 4.32 ± 0.45 | 0.351 |
| Ejection fraction (%) | 33 ± 13 | 28 ± 12 | <0.0001 | 30 ± 13 | 29 ± 12 | 0.491 |
ACE=angiotensin-converting enzyme; HF=heart failure; NYHA=New York Heart Association; PS=potassium sparing