Table 2.
Characteristics of patients with changed and unchanged preferences for life‐sustaining treatments
| Characteristics | Unchanged group (n = 63) | Changed group (n = 36) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 77 ± 12 | 73 ± 16 | 0.209 |
| Male, n (%) | 30 (47.6) | 22 (61.1) | 0.196 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 127 ± 35 | 117 ± 24 | 0.145 |
| Prior heart failure admissions, n (%) | 40 (63.5) | 22 (61.1) | 0.814 |
| LVEF (%)a | 48.5 ± 18.5 | 44.5 ± 18.2 | 0.375 |
| ADHERE risk score (low/intermediate/high), n (%) | 21/40/2 | 13/21/2 | 0.790 |
| (33.3)/(63.5)/(3.2) | (36.1)/(58.3)/(5.6) | ||
| Ischaemic heart disease, n (%) | 24 (38.1) | 11 (30.6) | 0.450 |
| Co‐morbidities | |||
| Hypertension, n (%) | 31 (49.2) | 15 (41.7) | 0.469 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 20 (31.7) | 17 (47.2) | 0.126 |
| Atrial fibrillation, n (%) | 22 (34.9) | 16 (44.4) | 0.349 |
| Cerebrovascular disease, n (%) | 10 (15.9) | 8 (22.2) | 0.431 |
| Malignancy, n (%) | 9 (14.3) | 8 (22.2) | 0.314 |
| Laboratory value on admission | |||
| Sodium (mmol/L) | 137.4 ± 5.4 | 136.7 ± 4.8 | 0.554 |
| BUN (mg/dL) | 50.3 ± 30.0 | 55.4 ± 46.1 | 0.557 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 2.2 ± 1.7 | 2.0 ± 1.6 | 0.467 |
| BNP (pg/mL)b | 1573 ± 1299 | 1301 ± 1454 | 0.363 |
| In‐hospital treatments | |||
| ACE‐I/ARB, n (%) | 30 (47.6) | 21 (58.3) | 0.305 |
| Beta‐blockers, n (%) | 31 (49.2) | 11 (30.6) | 0.071 |
| Intravenous inotropy, n (%) | 42 (66.7) | 26 (72.2) | 0.566 |
| Intubation and MV, n (%) | 21(33.3) | 12 (33.3) | 1.000 |
| IABP/PCPS, n (%) | 5 (7.9) | 2 (5.6) | 1.000 |
| Renal replacement therapy, n (%) | 6 (9.5) | 5 (13.9) | 0.506 |
| Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, n (%) | 14 (22.2) | 0 (0.0) | 0.002 |
| End‐of‐life conversations | |||
| The number of conversations (times) | 1.7 ± 1.2 | 2.9 ± 1.5 | <0.001 |
| Days from initial conversation to death (days) | 19 ± 36 | 38 ± 58 | 0.075 |
| Nurse's participation in the conversations, n (%) | 30 (47.6) | 16 (44.4) | 0.761 |
| Surrogate decision maker | |||
| Male, n (%) | 36 (57.1) | 12 (33.3) | 0.023 |
| Child, n (%) | 38 (60.3) | 20 (55.6) | 0.676 |
| Spouse, n (%) | 19 (30.2) | 15 (41.7) | 0.276 |
| Hospital stay (days) | 45 ± 50 | 58 ± 66 | 0.319 |
| Cardiac cause death, n (%) | 42 (66.7) | 29 (80.6) | 0.140 |
Date are presented as mean ± standard deviation. Abbreviations are given in Table 1.
a
Available data for 75 patients.
b
Available data for 91 patients.