Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients in MERLIN-TIMI 36 by potassium level.
| Characteristic | Potassium levels (mEq/L)
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <3.5 | 3.5 to<4.0 | 4.0 to <4.5 | 4.5 to <5.0 | ⩾5.0 | p (trend) | |
| Female sex | 114 (44.4) | 626 (36.9) | 855 (31.9) | 489 (35.5) | 196 (39.2) | 0.3933 |
| White ethnicity | 230 (89.5) | 1598 (94.2) | 2562 (95.5) | 1335 (96.9) | 475 (95.0) | <0.0001 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 81 (31.5) | 522 (30.8) | 891 (33.2) | 503 (36.5) | 210 (42.0) | <0.0001 |
| Hypertension | 217 (84.4) | 1234 (72.8) | 1874 (69.8) | 1044 (75.8) | 407 (81.4) | <0.0001 |
| Hyperlipidemia | 167 (64.9) | 1046 (61.7) | 1704 (63.5) | 830 (60.2) | 281 (56.2) | <0.0001 |
| Current smoker | 54 (21.0) | 423 (24.9) | 722 (26.9) | 335 (24.3) | 129 (25.8) | <0.0001 |
| Prior myocardial infarction | 78 (30.4) | 485 (28.6) | 903 (33.6) | 524 (38.0) | 211 (42.2) | <0.0001 |
| Prior coronary revascularization | 68 (26.5) | 447 (26.4) | 741 (27.6) | 367 (26.6) | 109 (21.8) | <0.0001 |
| Prior heart failure | 33 (12.8) | 238 (14.0) | 385 (14.3) | 289 (20.9) | 143 (28.6) | <0.0001 |
| Estimated creatinine clearance <60 mL/min | 51 (19.8) | 318 (18.8) | 524 (19.5) | 342 (24.8) | 160 (32.0) | <0.0001 |
| Unstable angina | 120 (46.7) | 758 (44.7) | 1190 (44.3) | 695 (50.4) | 291 (58.2) | <0.0001 |
| Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction | 133 (51.8) | 900 (53.1) | 1419 (52.9) | 656 (47.6) | 203 (40.6) | <0.0001 |
| Other | 4 (1.6) | 38 (2.2) | 75 (2.8) | 27 (1.9) | 6 (1.2) | <0.0001 |
| TIMI risk score 0–2 | 63 (24.5) | 511 (30.1) | 765 (28.5) | 314 (22.8) | 95 (19.0) | <0.0001 |
| TIMI risk score 3–4 | 143 (55.6) | 876 (51.7) | 1378 (51.3) | 772 (56.0) | 264 (52.8) | <0.0001 |
| TIMI risk score 5–7 | 51 (19.8) | 309 (18.2) | 541 (20.2) | 292 (21.2) | 141 (28.2) | <0.0001 |
| Coronary angiography during the index hospitalization | 166 (64.6) | 1106 (65.2) | 1636 (60.9) | 713 (51.7) | 222 (44.4) | <0.0001 |
| β blocker | 232 (90.3) | 1537 (90.6) | 2391 (89.1) | 1210 (87.8) | 443 (88.6) | 0.0234 |
| Aspirin | 249 (96.9) | 1634 (96.3) | 2574 (95.9) | 1316 (95.5) | 488 (97.6) | 0.9236 |
| Heparin | 229 (89.1) | 1570 (92.6) | 2440 (90.9) | 1218 (88.4) | 440 (88.0) | 0.0003 |
| Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitor | 38 (14.8) | 281 (16.6) | 404 (15.1) | 172 (12.5) | 57 (11.4) | 0.0005 |
| Thienopyridine | 166 (64.6) | 1138 (67.1) | 1804 (67.2) | 814 (59.1) | 260 (52.0) | <0.0001 |
| ACE inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker | 205 (79.8) | 1283 (75.7) | 2083 (77.6) | 1114 (80.8) | 412 (82.4) | 0.0004 |
| Statin | 228 (88.7) | 1467 (86.5) | 2290 (85.3) | 1066 (77.4) | 315 (63.0) | <0.0001 |
| Ranolazine | 126 (49.0) | 848 (50.0) | 1333 (49.7) | 700 (50.8) | 245 (49.0) | 0.8750 |
| Age (years) | 63.00±11.2 | 62.97±11.1 | 63.05±11.1 | 64.38±10.9 | 65.27±10.6 | 0.061 |
| Weight (kg) | 84.18±18.5 | 82.06±15.7 | 82.80±15.9 | 81.94±15.8 | 80.92±17.1 | 0.069 |
| Body mass index | 29.62±5.4 | 28.69±4.9 | 28.92±5.4 | 28.86±4.7 | 28.52±5.2 | 0.053 |
Data are presented as n (%) or mean±SD values.