Table 1.
Characteristics of Cirrhotic Patients Admitted with Ascites, According to the Receipt of a Paracentesis
| Paracentesis (n = 10,743) | No Paracentesis (n = 6,968) | p-valuea | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age in years, mean (95% CI) | 57.8 (57.2–58.5) | 58.8 (58.1–59.5) | 0.03 |
| < 55, % | 43.0 | 38.5 | 0.02 |
| 55–64, % | 30.4 | 31.2 | |
| ≥ 65, % | 26.6 | 30.3 | |
| Male, % | 64.2 | 62.9 | 0.44 |
| Race/ethnicity | |||
| White, % | 66.2 | 67.0 | 0.40 |
| Black, % | 10.0 | 8.6 | |
| Hispanic, % | 17.2 | 18.8 | |
| Other, % | 6.6 | 5.6 | |
| Weekend admission, % | 22.0 | 24.3 | 0.10 |
| Elective admission, % | 7.1 | 6.4 | 0.52 |
| Primary payer | |||
| Medicare, % | 38.5 | 43.0 | 0.06 |
| Medicaid, % | 24.1 | 21.5 | |
| Private, % | 23.8 | 24.0 | |
| Self-pay, % | 9.0 | 7.0 | |
| Other, % | 4.6 | 4.6 | |
| Median zip code income | |||
| 1st quartile, % | 27.7 | 31.6 | 0.03 |
| 2nd quartile, % | 26.2 | 27.5 | |
| 3rd quartile, % | 25.4 | 23.3 | |
| 4th quartile, % | 20.6 | 17.6 | |
| Elixhauser index, mean (95% CI) | 3.6 (3.5–3.7) | 3.6 (3.5–3.8) | 0.43 |
| Sepsis, % | 8.7 | 5.7 | 0.002 |
| Acute renal failure, % | 29.1 | 21.3 | <0.001 |
| Hospital size | |||
| Small, % | 9.6 | 10.4 | 0.48 |
| Medium, % | 25.0 | 26.6 | |
| Large, % | 65.4 | 63.0 | |
| Ownership/control | |||
| Government, non-federal, % | 16.5 | 16.6 | 0.12 |
| Private, non-profit, % | 69.5 | 65.9 | |
| Private, investor-owned, % | 14.0 | 17.5 | |
| Hospital region | |||
| Northeast, % | 18.9 | 16.3 | 0.02 |
| Midwest, % | 19.4 | 17.9 | |
| South, % | 35.6 | 42.4 | |
| West, % | 26.2 | 23.5 | |
| Teaching hospital, % | 52.7 | 43.5 | <0.001 |
| Rural (vs. urban) location, % | 9.8 | 13.0 | 0.01 |
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval.
a
Student’s t-test used to compare means; Pearson’s χ2 test used to compare proportions.