Table 1.
Baseline patient characteristics by PDC frequency
| Characteristic | High Frequency | Intermediate Frequency | Low Frequency | Included Facilities | Excluded Facilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facilities (n) | 429 | 186 | 163 | 778 | 152 |
| Patients (n) | 13,749 | 5778 | 4971 | 24,498 | 4651 |
| Age (yr) | 62.0±14.2 | 61.3±15.2 | 61.6±14.9 | 61.7±14.6 | 60.9±15.5 |
| Male (%) | 58.2 | 55.6 | 58.1 | 57.6 | 57.0 |
| Black (%) | 5.3 | 26.0 | 17.1 | 12.6 | 10.9 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 23.4±4.9 | 25.4±6.1 | 25.5±6.2 | 24.3±5.6 | 25.0±5.7 |
| Dialysis vintage (yr) | 5.6±6.1 | 4.1±4.5 | 4.3±4.9 | 5.0±5.6 | 4.7±5.4 |
| Single pool Kt/V | 1.39±0.30 | 1.46±0.30 | 1.45±0.31 | 1.42±0.30 | 1.47±0.30 |
| Dialysis time (min) | 236±36 | 224±33 | 229±37 | 232±36 | 234±38 |
| Albumin (g/dl) | 3.8±0.5 | 3.7±0.5 | 3.7±0.5 | 3.8±0.5 | 3.8±0.5 |
| Calcium (mg/dl) | 9.2±0.9 | 9.2±0.9 | 9.3±0.9 | 9.3±0.9 | 9.3±0.9 |
| Phosphorus (mg/dl) | 5.5±1.8 | 5.7±1.8 | 5.5±1.8 | 5.6±1.8 | 5.5±1.8 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dl) | 10.9±1.6 | 11.2±1.6 | 11.4±1.6 | 11.1±1.6 | 11.2±1.6 |
| Vascular access (%) | |||||
| Fistula | 71.9 | 42.7 | 52.6 | 61.1 | 59.7 |
| Graft | 12.5 | 32.8 | 23.4 | 19.5 | 17.9 |
| Catheter | 10.6 | 20.1 | 20.4 | 14.8 | 16.2 |
| Employment (%) | 17.7 | 12.7 | 13.0 | 15.6 | 14.1 |
| Education (high school or more) (%) | 34.3 | 46.1 | 44.7 | 39.2 | 39.5 |
| Married (%) | 61.5 | 52.7 | 54.7 | 58.0 | 55.5 |
| Living status (%) | |||||
| Family | 79.9 | 75.1 | 76.7 | 78.1 | 76.0 |
| Nursing Home | 4.1 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.4 |
| Alone | 15.2 | 17.3 | 17.4 | 16.2 | 18.8 |
| Comorbid conditions (%) | |||||
| Coronary artery disease | 39.2 | 53.6 | 52.1 | 45.2 | 46.5 |
| Cancer | 10.6 | 11.6 | 11.1 | 10.9 | 12.1 |
| Other cardiovascular disease | 36.9 | 37.0 | 35.5 | 36.7 | 32.3 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 15.5 | 19.3 | 18.3 | 17.0 | 16.6 |
| Congestive heart failure | 29.5 | 41.5 | 37.2 | 33.9 | 31.9 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 31.0 | 44.2 | 40.5 | 36.0 | 34.2 |
| Gastrointestinal bleeding | 5.1 | 7.9 | 7.4 | 6.2 | 5.6 |
| HIV/AIDS | 0.6 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| Hypertension | 74.6 | 83.5 | 82.7 | 78.3 | 78.4 |
| Lung disease | 9.2 | 14.0 | 12.0 | 10.9 | 11.0 |
| Neurologic disorder | 9.2 | 13.3 | 11.9 | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| Psychiatric disorder | 13.1 | 22.7 | 22.2 | 17.2 | 16.2 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 24.1 | 27.4 | 28.2 | 25.7 | 24.6 |
| Recurrent cellulitis | 6.9 | 10.6 | 9.1 | 8.2 | 8.1 |
Values expressed with a plus/minus sign are the mean ± SD.