Table 2.
Baseline characteristics according to the quartiles of GDF-15.
| 1st Quartile | 2nd Quartile | 3rd Quartile | 4th Quartile | p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 13 | n = 13 | n = 13 | n = 12 | ||
| Age, years | 56 [52–68] | 59 [56–64] | 61 [56–71] | 69 [61–71] | 0.384 |
| Sex, No. (%): | 0.536 | ||||
| Female patients | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (15.4%) | 1 (7.7%) | 2 (16.7%) | 0.536 |
| Male patients | 13 (100%) | 11 (84.6%) | 12 (92.3%) | 10 (83.3%) | |
| Ventricular assist device, No. (%): | |||||
| HVAD | 5 (38.5%) | 1 (7.7%) | 5 (38.5%) | 4 (33.3%) | 0.476 |
| HM2 | 1 (7.7%) | 1 (7.7%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| HM3 | 7 (53.8%) | 11 (84.6%) | 8 (61.5%) | 8 (66.7%) | |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 31.0 [28.2–35.1] | 28.4 [25.6–30.4] | 31.0 [28.8–32.8] | 29.0 [27.0–30.3] | 0.279 |
| Type of cardiomyopathy, No. (%): | |||||
| Ischemic CMP | 10 (76.9%) | 9 (69.2%) | 8 (61.5%) | 11 (91.7%) | 0.420 |
| Dilatative CMP | 3 (23.1%) | 4 (30.8%) | 5 (38.5%) | 1 (8.33%) | |
| Flow, min-1 | 5.3 [5.0–5.5] | 4.9 [4.0–5.0] | 4.7 [4.5–4.9] | 4.7 [4.2–5.1] | 0.089 |
| Speed RPM | 4200 [2850–5750] | 5700 [5600–6000] | 5200 [2775–5325] | 5200 [2810–5450] | 0.024 |
| History of arterial hypertension, No. (%) | 7 (53.8%) | 9 (69.2%) | 7 (53.8%) | 6 (50.0%) | 0.768 |
| Hyperlipidemia, No. (%) | 4 (30.8%) | 8 (61.5%) | 7 (53.8%) | 4 (33.3%) | 0.312 |
| Atrial fibrillation, No. (%) | 3 (23.1%) | 5 (38.5%) | 7 (53.8%) | 5 (41.7%) | 0.497 |
| Cerebral artery disease, No. (%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (16.7%) | 0.040 |
| Peripheral artery disease, No. (%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (7.7%) | 1 (7.7%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1.000 |
| Hemoglobin, g/dL | 14.4 [13.2–16.5] | 13.6 [12.0–14.1] | 13.5 [12.2–14.4] | 11.7 [10.8–12.6] | 0.010 |
| Thrombocytes, G/L | 250 [195–278] | 222 [188–244] | 225 [183–279] | 177 [154–249] | 0.551 |
| White blood cell count, G/L | 7.1 [6.4–8.5] | 8.6 [5.6–10.3] | 8.0 [5.9–9.8] | 8.7 [7.6–10.1] | 0.413 |
| Creatinine, mg/dL | 1.0 [0.9–1.1] | 1.1 [1.1–1.4] | 1.3 [1.0–1.6] | 1.7 [1.1–2.1] | 0.008 |
| INR | 2.5 [2.3–2.6] | 2.5 [2.2–2.7] | 2.2 [2.1–2.7] | 2.2 [2.1–2.4] | 0.328 |
| High sensitivity C-reactive protein, mg/L | 0.2 [0.1–0.3] | 0.2 [0.1–0.4] | 0.4 [0.2–0.7] | 0.6 [0.2–2.2] | 0.050 |
| Vitamin K antagonist, No. (%) | 13 (100%) | 13 (100%) | 13 (100%) | 12 (100%) | . |
| Aspirin, No. (%) | 13 (100%) | 13 (100%) | 13 (100%) | 12 (100%) | . |
| Clopidogrel, No. (%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (15.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0.219 |
| ACE-I or ARB, No. (%) | 8 (61.5%) | 10 (76.9%) | 9 (69.2%) | 6 (50.0%) | 0.570 |
| Furosemide, No. (%) | 10 (76.9%) | 13 (100%) | 10 (76.9%) | 12 (100%) | 0.145 |
| Statin, No. (%) | 7 (58.3%) | 10 (76.9%) | 8 (61.5%) | 9 (81.8%) | 0.562 |
Continuous data are shown as median [interquartile range]. Dichotomous data are shown as n (%). ACE-I = angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor; ARB = angiotensin-receptor blocker; CMP = cardiomyopathy; INR = international normalized ratio; MRA = mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist; proBNP = pro brain-natriuretic peptide; RPM = rounds per minute.