Table 2:
Baseline Characteristics of LVAD Patients Providing Blood Samples
| Study cohorts | LVAD (1mo) | LVAD (3–6mo) | LVAD (>6mo) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of samples (N=201) | 64 | 52 | 85 | |
| Demographic and clinical characteristics | ||||
| Age (years) | 58.7 ± 13.0 | 57.7 ± 14.6 | 57.8 ± 14.3 | <0.001 |
| Male | 57 (89.1%) | 45 (86.5%) | 74 (87.1%) | 0.90 |
| Race | 0.05 | |||
| White | 43 (67.2%) | 31 (59.6%) | 55 (64.7%) | |
| Black | 8 (12.5%) | 10 (19.2%) | 22 (25.9%) | |
| Hispanic | 2 (3.1%) | 5 (9.6%) | 5 (5.9%) | |
| Other | 11 (17.2%) | 6 (11.5%) | 3 (3.5%) | |
| BMI (kg/m2) Median [IQI] | 28.5 [22.9, 29.4] | 27.6 [25.0, 30.6] | 28.0 [24.8, 32.5] | 0.35 |
| Smoking | 41 (64.1%) | 31 (59.6%) | 43 (50.6%) | 0.24 |
| Etiology, Ischemic | 38 (59.4%) | 26 (50.0%) | 37 (43.5%) | 0.16 |
| INTERMACS Profile | 0.58 | |||
| 1 | 7 (10.9%) | 4 (7.7%) | 6 (7.1%) | |
| 2 | 35 (54.7%) | 32 (61.5%) | 42 (49.4%) | |
| 3 | 12 (18.8%) | 12 (23.1%) | 21 (24.7%) | |
| 4 | 4 (6.2%) | 3 (5.8%) | 5 (5.9%) | |
| 5–7 or not provided | 6 (9.4%) | 1 (1.9%) | 11 (12.9%) | |
| Hypertension | 39 (60.9%) | 31 (59.6%) | 49 (57.6%) | 0.92 |
| Diabetes | 22 (34.4%) | 19 (36.5%) | 36 (42.4%) | 0.58 |
| Atrial fib/flutter | 28 (43.8%) | 20 (38.5%) | 39 (45.9%) | 0.69 |
| Stroke | 2 (3.1%) | 2 (3.8%) | 9 (10.6%) | 0.13 |
| Time after LVAD, months Median [IQI] |
0.6 [0.5, 0.8] | 4.5 [3.6, 6.0] | 12.1 [9.2, 17.6] | <0.001 |
| Laboratory parameters | ||||
| BUN (mg/dl) | 19.0 ± 12.4 | 22.6 ± 10.4 | 24.6 ± 13.3 | 0.01 |
| Serum Cr (mg/dl) | 1.2 ± 0.6 | 1.3 ± 0.5 | 1.4 ± 0.8 | 0.01 |
| Serum CysC (mg/l) | 1.6 ± 0.6 | 1.6 ± 0.6 | 1.5 ± 0.7 | 0.09 |
| eGFRCr (ml/min/1.73m2) | 77.9 ± 39.0 | 67.5 ± 25.5 | 62.0 ± 24.8 | <0.001 |
| eGFRcys (ml/min/1.73m2) | 51.3 ± 22.4 | 48.6 ± 21.0 | 58.1 ± 29.1 | 0.03 |
| NT-ProBNP (ng/l) Median [IQI] | 2654 [1999, 4205] | 1336 [573, 2177] | 976 [528, 1916] | <0.001 |
| Na (mmol/l) | 136.1 ± 4.2 | 140.6 ± 3.0 | 140.2 ± 3.3 | <0.001 |
| AST (U/L) | 28.1 ± 14.0 | 27.0 ± 17.5 | 26.9 ± 17.2 | 0.97 |
| ALT (U/L) | 29.1 ± 19.2 | 19.1 ± 9.8 | 21.8 ± 12.8 | 0.002 |
| Total Bilirubin (mg/dl) | 0.8 ± 0.8 | 0.5 ± 0.2 | 0.6 ± 0.3 | 0.01 |
| LDH (U/L) | 349.1 ± 114.2 | 301.3 ± 92.7 | 329.3 ± 174.1 | 0.14 |
| Biomarkers | ||||
| ln-CRP (mg/L) | 4.0 ± 0.9 | 1.7 ± 1.0 | 1.8 ± 1.2 | <0.001 |
| ln-IL-6 (pg/mL) | 3.2 ± 0.8 | 1.7 ± 0.8 | 1.7 ± 0.9 | <0.001 |
| ln-TNF-α (pg/mL) | 0.9 ± 0.4 | 0.7 ± 0.4 | 0.6 ± 0.6 | 0.003 |
| ln-ET-1 (pg/mL) | 0.9 ± 0.5 | 0.7 ± 0.5 | 0.9 ± 0.5 | 0.23 |
| ln-Adiponectin (ng/mL) | 9.6 ± 0.5 | 9.3 ± 0.6 | 9.2 ± 0.7 | <0.001 |
| ln-Isoprostane (pg/mL) | 4.3 ± 0.4 | 4.5 ± 0.4 | 4.5 ± 0.5 | 0.04 |
| ln-sCD14 (ng/mL) | 7.5 ± 0.5 | 7.5 ± 0.3 | 7.4 ± 0.3 | 0.10 |
| LPS (EU/mL) | 0.3 ± 0.1 | 0.4 ± 0.2 | 0.4 ±0.2 | 0.02 |
| Medications | ||||
| ASA | 56 (87.5%) | 39 (75.0%) | 59 (69.4%) | 0.03 |
| Coumadin | 38 (59.4%) | 47 (90.4%) | 75 (88.2%) | <0.001 |
| ACE inhibitors | 6 (9.4%) | 16 (30.8%) | 27 (31.8%) | 0.003 |
| ARB, | 1 (1.6%) | 5 (9.6%) | 15 (17.6%) | 0.01 |
| Aldosterone Antagonists | 23 (35.9%) | 26 (50.0%) | 25 (29.4%) | 0.05 |
| β-blockers | 34 (53.1%) | 44 (84.6%) | 80 (94.1%) | <0.001 |
| Statins | 20 (31.2%) | 18 (34.6%) | 25 (29.4%) | 0.82 |
| Loop diuretics | 41 (64.1%) | 40 (76.9%) | 51 (60.0%) | 0.12 |
| Digoxin | 16 (25.0%) | 18 (34.6%) | 34 (40.0%) | 0.16 |
| *Antibiotics | 35 (54.7%) | 11 (21.2%) | 29 (34.1%) | 0.001 |
LVAD, left ventricular assist device; BMI, body mass index; AST, aspartate transaminase; ALT, alanine transaminase, LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; NT-proBNP, N-terminal prohormone B-type natriuretic peptide; Cr, Creatinine; CysC, Cystatin C; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor alpha; sCD14, soluble CD14; IL-6, interleukin-6; CRP, C-reactive protein; ET-1, endothelin-1; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; ASA, acetylsalicylic acid; ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker.
Data presented n (%) or mean ± SD as appropriate, unless otherwise noted.
Antibiotic use is defined as any antibiotic use that was indicated for infection that was estimated to have occurred 1 month before stool collection.