Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of patients stratified into three groups according to tertiles of the MELD‐XI score
| Item |
First tertile MELD‐XI = 9.44 (n = 95) |
Second tertile 9.44 < MELD‐XI < 13.4 (n = 94) |
Third tertile MELD‐XI ≥ 13.4 (n = 94) |
P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline clinical data | ||||
| Age (years) | 69 (60–74) | 67 (57–76) | 72 (64–79)* , † | 0.019 |
| Male, n (%) | 64 (67.3) | 79 (84.0)* | 76 (80.8)* | 0.016 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 21.4 (18.8–24.3) | 22.4 (20.4–25.3) | 22.3 (19.9–24.8) | 0.096 |
| NYHA IV, n (%) | 9 (9.4) | 11 (11.7) | 20 (21.8) | 0.052 |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 25 (26.3) | 36 (38.3) | 44 (46.8)* | 0.012 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 38 (40.0) | 49 (52.1) | 56 (59.5)* | 0.024 |
| Ischaemic cardiomyopathy, n (%) | 25 (26.3) | 36 (38.3) | 35 (37.2) | 0.15 |
| Atrial fibrillation, n (%) | 17 (17.8) | 23 (24.4) | 27 (28.7) | 0.21 |
| QRS duration (ms) | 152 (128–172) | 150 (123–174) | 150 (130–168) | 0.89 |
| VALID‐CRT risk score | 0.80 (−0.08–1.23) | 0.76 (0.19–1.35) | 0.89 (0.27–1.51) | 0.066 |
| Medications | ||||
| ACE‐I or ARB, n (%) | 65 (68.4) | 70 (75.2) | 52 (55.3) † | 0.013 |
| Beta‐blocker, n (%) | 85 (89.4) | 89 (95.7) | 83 (88.3) | 0.16 |
| Diuretic, n (%) | 86 (90.5) | 87 (93.5) | 78 (82.9) | 0.058 |
| Laboratory data | ||||
| Haemoglobin (g/dL) | 12.7 (11.7–13.8) | 13.4 (11.2–14.3) | 11.7 (10.4–13.0)* , † | <0.001 |
| Platelet count (× 103/μL) | 201 (169–253) | 188 (157–221) | 190 (146–220) | 0.033 |
| Total bilirubin (mg/dL) | 0.6 (0.4–0.8) | 0.8 (0.5–1.1)* | 0.6 (0.3–1.3) | 0.002 |
| AST (U/L) | 22 (19–31) | 25 (19–34) | 23 (17–31) | 0.37 |
| ALT (U/L) | 18 (13–30) | 19 (15–28) | 17 (12–28) | 0.42 |
| GGT (U/L) | 41 (22–84) | 49 (27–97) | 43 (24–72) | 0.58 |
| Sodium (mEq/L) | 140 (138–142) | 139 (137–141) | 139 (136–141) | 0.15 |
| BUN (mg/dL) | 18 (13–22) | 21 (16–26)* | 33 (25–47)* , † | <0.001 |
| Cr (mg/dL) | 0.8 (0.7–0.9) | 1.0 (1.0–1.1)* | 1.7 (1.4–2.5)* , † | <0.001 |
| NT‐proBNP (pg/mL) | 2310 (1018–5689) | 2743 (1417–8029) | 7119 (2319–15,461)* , † | <0.001 |
| Echocardiographic data | ||||
| LVEDV (mL) | 199 (162–259) | 215 (163–263) | 197 (144–255) | 0.46 |
| LVESV (mL) | 147 (105–191) | 153 (101–201) | 134 (90–189) | 0.36 |
| LVEF (%) | 30 (21–38) | 27 (21–36) | 30 (23–38) | 0.35 |
| Moderate or severe MR, n (%) | 17 (17.8) | 10 (10.6) | 19 (20.2) | 0.17 |
| RVDd (mm) | 31 (25–35) | 34 (30–38) | 32 (29–38) | 0.13 |
| RVFAC (%) | 45 (34–52) | 44 (32–50) | 42 (35–52) | 0.41 |
| Moderate or severe TR, n (%) | 11 (14.3) | 22 (29.7) | 26 (34.2)* | 0.009 |
| TRPG (mmHg) | 18 (5–30) | 22 (5–31) | 27 (15–39)* , † | 0.019 |
| Maximal IVC diameter (mm) | 14 (11–17) | 16 (11–19) | 15 (13–19) | 0.17 |
ACE‐I, angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; BUN, blood urea nitrogen; Cr, creatinine; CRT, cardiac resynchronization therapy; GGT, γ‐glutamyl transferase; IVC, inferior vena cava; LVEDV, left ventricular end‐diastolic volume; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; LVESV, left ventricular end‐systolic volume; MELD‐XI, Model for End‐stage Liver Disease excluding the International normalized ratio; MR, mitral regurgitation; NT‐proBNP, N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide; NYHA, New York Heart Association; RVDd, right ventricular end‐diastolic diameter; RVFAC, right ventricular fractional area change; TR, tricuspid regurgitation; TRPG, tricuspid regurgitation pressure gradient.
Values are shown as the median (inter‐quartile range) or number (%). For multiple comparisons, the ANOVA test was used for symmetrical continuous variables, the Kruskal–Wallis test was used for non‐symmetrical continuous variables, and the χ 2 test was used for categorical variables. All pair comparisons were performed based on the Tukey–Kramer test for symmetrical continuous variables, the Steel–Dwass test for non‐symmetrical continuous variables, and the χ 2 test with Bonferroni correction for categorical variables.
P < 0.05 vs. first tertile.
P < 0.05 vs. second tertile.