Table 1. Demographics and clinical characteristics, by indication for TIPS.
| All Patients (n = 413) |
Variceal Bleeding (n = 248) |
Refractory Ascites (n = 165) |
P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 56 ± 11.4 | 56 ± 12.0 | 58 ± 10.3 | 0.05 |
| Female sex (%) | 124 (30%) | 67 (27%) | 57 (35%) | 0.10 |
| White race (%) | 342 (83%) | 203 (82%) | 139 (84%) | 0.53 |
| Non-Hispanic ethnicity (%) | 396 (96%) | 240 (97%) | 156 (95%) | 0.26 |
| Co-morbidities (%) | ||||
| Diabetes mellitus a | 118 (29%) | 62 (26%) | 56 (35%) | 0.05 |
| Chronic kidney disease b | 84 (21%) | 41 (17%) | 43 (27%) | 0.02 |
| Cardiovascular disease c | 59 (15%) | 33 (14%) | 26 (16%) | 0.51 |
| Hypertension c | 133 (33%) | 80 (33%) | 53 (33%) | 0.99 |
| Etiology of cirrhosis (%) m | 0.19 | |||
| Non-alcoholic steatohepatits | 38 (9%) | 19 (8%) | 19 (12%) | |
| Alcohol | 135 (33%) | 85 (35%) | 50 (30%) | |
| Hepatitis C | 72 (18%) | 37 (15%) | 35 (21%) | |
| Multifactorial | 71 (18%) | 48 (20%) | 23 (14%) | |
| Other | 88 (22%) | 51 (21%) | 37 (23%) | |
| Prior complications of liver disease (%) | ||||
| Pre-TIPS encephalopathy d | 134 (34%) | 72 (31%) | 62 (40%) | 0.05 |
| Gastrointestinal bleeding e | 286 (72%) | 224 (95%) | 62 (39%) | <0.001 |
| Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis f | 47 (12%) | 13 (6%) | 34 (22%) | <0.001 |
| Laboratory values | ||||
| Sodium (mEq/L) | 137 ± 5.7 | 139 ± 4.8 | 134 ± 5.5 | <0.001 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 1.4 ± 0.84 | 1.2 ± 0.74 | 1.6 ± 0.95 | <0.001 |
| White blood count (K/uL) | 7.8 ± 4.86 | 8.5 ± 5.36 | 6.8 ± 3.77 | <0.001 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 10.1 ± 1.61 | 10.1 ± 1.61 | 10.1 ± 1.61 | 0.95 |
| Platelets (K/uL) | 103 ± 63.0 | 94 ± 50.5 | 117 ± 76.3 | 0.001 |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 2.7 ± 0.57 | 2.6 ± 0.55 | 2.8 ± 0.57 | <0.001 |
| International normalized ratio (INR) | 1.5 ± 0.39 | 1.5 ± 0.38 | 1.5 ± 0.40 | 0.51 |
| Total bilirubin (mg/dL) | 4.0 ± 5.97 | 4.7 ± 6.72 | 3.0 ± 4.44 | 0.002 |
| Aspartate aminotransferase (U/L) | 172 ± 688.2 | 220 ± 876.4 | 97 ± 154.1 | 0.03 |
| Alanine aminotransferase (U/L) | 76 ± 219.8 | 89 ± 273.6 | 56 ± 90.1 | 0.08 |
| Alkaline phosphatase (U/L) | 126 ± 99.7 | 113 ± 94.7 | 146 ± 104.1 | 0.001 |
| TIPS procedural characteristics | ||||
| Emergent placement (%)§ | — | 61 (25%) | — | — |
| Pre-TIPS portosystemic gradient (mm Hg) g | 18 ± 7.5 | 18 ± 8.7 | 17 ± 5.2 | 0.10 |
| Post-TIPS portosystemic gradient (mm Hg) h | 7 ± 3.5 | 7 ± 3.9 | 7 ± 3.0 | 0.99 |
| Reduction in portosystemic gradient (mm Hg) i | 11 ± 6.5 | 12 ± 7.4 | 11 ± 4.7 | 0.06 |
| Covered stent (%) j | 254 (62%) | 146 (59%) | 108 (66%) | 0.14 |
| Diameter of final TIPS dilation (mm) k | 9.9 ± 1.08 | 9.8 ± 1.11 | 9.9 ± 1.04 | 0.67 |
| TIPS revision within 90 days (%) l | 49 (12%) | 29 (12%) | 20 (12%) | 0.94 |
| Hepatic Encephalopathy within 90 days (%)¶ | 150 (39%) | 91 (38%) | 59 (42%) | 0.52 |
Continuous variables are displayed as mean ± standard deviation. P value represents comparison between variceal bleeding and refractory ascites groups. Key: TIPS (transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt)
a n = 403
b n = 400
c n = 401
d n = 389
e n = 396
f n = 391
g n = 384
h n = 402
i n = 382
j n = 410
k n = 407
l n = 399
m n = 404
§ Emergent placement was only considered among patients receiving TIPS for variceal bleeding.
¶ Requiring unscheduled outpatient visit or admission to the emergency room/inpatient setting. n = 380