Table 1. Patient characteristics.
| Variables | No WRF/less BNP reduction | No WRF/more BNP reduction | WRF/less BNP reduction | WRF/more BNP reduction | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 397 | n = 390 | n = 57 | n = 63 | ||
| Age (years) | 79±12 | 76±13 | 80±11 | 80±12 | 0.004 |
| Male gender (%) | 225 (56.7) | 217 (55.6) | 25 (43.9) | 33 (52.4) | 0.315 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 142±33 | 154±34 | 150±35 | 171±37 | <0.001 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 81±24 | 89±25 | 81±23 | 93±24 | <0.001 |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 96±29 | 99±30 | 98±25 | 96±23 | 0.349 |
| ECG rhythm (%) | 0.646 | ||||
| Sinus | 200 (50.4) | 207 (53.1) | 28 (50.0) | 40 (63.5) | |
| Atrial fibrillation | 155 (39.0) | 142 (36.4) | 22 (39.3) | 19 (30.2) | |
| Others | 42 (10.6) | 41 (10.5) | 6 (10.7) | 4 (6.3) | |
| LVEF measured at emergency department (%) | 0.389 | ||||
| <35% | 126 (32.6) | 151 (39.7) | 21 (38.9) | 19 (31.1) | |
| 35–50% | 111 (28.8) | 106 (27.9) | 14 (25.9) | 16 (26.2) | |
| >50% | 149 (38.6) | 123 (32.4) | 19 (35.2) | 26 (42.6) | |
| Comorbidities (%) | |||||
| History of Heart Failure | 212 (53.4) | 185 (47.4) | 30 (52.6) | 34 (54.0) | 0.366 |
| Hypertension | 268 (67.5) | 263 (67.4) | 45 (78.9) | 53 (84.1) | 0.017 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 165 (41.6) | 119 (30.5) | 23 (40.4) | 24 (38.1) | 0.013 |
| Coronary artery disease | 121 (30.5) | 101 (25.9) | 21 (36.8) | 21 (33.3) | 0.212 |
| Medication at admission (%) | |||||
| Loop diuretics | 229 (58.4) | 179 (46.3) | 30 (52.6) | 36 (57.1) | 0.007 |
| ACE-I | 54 (13.6) | 68 (17.4) | 6 (10.5) | 12 (19.0) | 0.272 |
| ARB | 132 (33.2) | 108 (27.7) | 18 (31.6) | 28 (44.4) | 0.045 |
| Beta blocker | 150 (38.3) | 179 (45.9) | 23 (40.4) | 36 (57.1) | 0.017 |
| Aldosterone blocker | 72 (18.1) | 86 (22.1) | 10 (17.5) | 10 (15.9) | 0.435 |
| Laboratory data | |||||
| White blood cell count (/μl) | 7100 [5400, 9500] | 7700 [5900, 10200] | 9000 [6800, 11600] | 8800 [6450, 11550] | <0.001 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 11.6±2.3 | 12.3±2.3 | 10.8±2.2 | 11.6±2.2 | <0.001 |
| AST (IU/L) | 32 [23, 48] | 31 [24, 48] | 30 [24, 40] | 28 [21, 45] | 0.504 |
| ALT (IU/L) | 21 [14, 35] | 24 [16, 39] | 18 [12, 32] | 18 [13, 36] | 0.012 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 1.1 [0.8, 1.7] | 1.0 [0.8, 1.4] | 1.4 [0.9, 2.1] | 1.5 [1.0, 1.8] | <0.001 |
| Blood urea nitrogen (mg/dL) | 25 [18, 37] | 22 [17, 30] | 29 [24, 42] | 28 [22, 38] | <0.001 |
| Sodium (mEq/L) | 139±5 | 140±4 | 138±5 | 139±5 | 0.002 |
| Glucose (mg/dL) | 168±82 | 158±70 | 180±89 | 165±66 | 0.13 |
| C-reactive protein (mg/dL) | 0.58 [0.22, 2.11] | 0.54 [0.17, 2.11] | 1.14 [0.27, 2.57] | 0.64 [0.25, 1.72] | 0.181 |
| BNP (pg/mL) | 666 [403, 1186] | 790 [464, 1393] | 864 [456, 1563] | 838 [435, 1472] | 0.023 |
Values are expressed as mean ± SD, n (%), or median [interquartile range].
ECG, electrocardiogram; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; ACEI, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor; ARB, angiotensin II receptor blocker; AST, aspartate transaminase; ALT, alanine transaminase; BNP, brain natriuretic peptide