Table 3.

Adjusted and unadjusted associations with mortality at baseline, 3 months, and 12 months

	Baseline		3 months		12 months
	HR (95% CI)	P-value	HR (95% CI)	P-value	HR (95% CI)	P-value
Univariate
Sodium	1.13 (1.05–1.20)	0.001*	1.09 (1.01–1.17)	0.022*	1.15 (1.05–1.27)	0.003*
Chloride	1.27 (1.18–1.35)	<0.001*	1.25 (1.16–1.34)	<0.001*	1.34 (1.22–1.46)	<0.001*
Bicarbonate	1.05 (0.98–1.13)	0.152	1.01 (0.94–1.09)	0.729	1.03 (0.93–1.13)	0.611
Multivariable
Sodium	0.97 (0.89–1.06)	0.521	0.89 (0.81–0.98)	0.015*	0.90 (0.80–1.02)	0.091
Chloride	1.30 (1.18–1.42)	<0.001*	1.38 (1.25–1.52)	<0.001*	1.49 (1.31–1.69)	<0.001*
Bicarbonate	1.03 (0.96–1.11)	0.430	1.11 (1.02–1.20)	0.022*	1.13 (1.01–1.25)	0.031*
Multivariable with adjustment for baseline characteristics
Sodium	0.93 (0.86–1.02)	0.147	0.91 (0.83–1.01)	0.063	0.95 (0.84–1.07)	0.392
Chloride	1.19 (1.08–1.31)	<0.001*	1.24 (1.12–1.38)	<0.001*	1.34 (1.17–1.53)	<0.001*
Bicarbonate	1.02 (0.95–1.11)	0.547	1.09 (1.00–1.19)	0.063	1.08 (0.97–1.21)	0.148

Baseline characteristics adjusted for include: medications (bucindolol, digoxin, loop diuretic dose, ACE inhibitor, and vasodilators), coronary artery disease, diabetes, hypertension, age, gender, ejection fraction, systolic blood pressure, New York Heart Association class, haemoglobin level, estimated glomerular filtration rate, blood urea nitrogen, and the blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio.

CI, confidence interval; HR, hazard ratio.

The HR is expressed per standard deviation decrease for chloride and sodium and per standard deviation increase for bicarbonate.