Table 1.
Baseline characteristics and outcomes of participants (N = 1,021).
| Variable | Medical (n = 724) | p-TIPS (n = 297) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 52.6 ± 12.4 | 53.4 ± 12.1 | 0.364# |
| Female sex, n (%) | 207 (28.6%) | 115 (38.9%) | <0.001$ |
| Aetiology of cirrhosis, n (%) | <0.001$ | ||
| Chronic HBV infection | 438 (60.5%) | 188 (63.3%) | |
| Chronic HCV infection | 28 (3.9%) | 20 (6.7%) | |
| Alcohol | 75 (10.4%) | 12 (4.0%) | |
| Others | 72 (9.9%) | 33 (11.1%) | |
| Miscellaneous | 74 (10.2%) | 40 (13.5%) | |
| Cryptogenic | 37 (5.1%) | 4 (1.3%) | |
| HBV DNA detectable, n (%) | 324 (44.8%) | 107 (36.0%) | 0.012$ |
| Child-Pugh score | 7.6 ± 0.7 | 7.8 ± 0.8 | 0.015# |
| 7 | 347 (47.9%) | 119 (40.1%) | |
| 8 | 258 (35.6%) | 109 (36.7%) | |
| 9 | 119 (16.4%) | 69 (23.2%) | |
| MELD score | 12.1 ± 3.4 | 12.5 ± 3.2 | 0.110# |
| CLIF-C AD score | 45.8 ± 8.9 | 45.7 ± 8.9 | 0.839# |
| CLIF-C ADs 48-56 | 0.966$ | ||
| <48 | 432 (59.7%) | 175 (58.9%) | |
| 48-56 | 213 (29.4%) | 89 (30.0%) | |
| >56 | 79 (10.9%) | 33 (11.1%) | |
| Child B 8-9+AB criteria¶ | <0.001$ | ||
| Low risk | 615 (84.9%) | 212 (71.6%) | |
| High risk | 109 (15.1%) | 84 (28.4%) | |
| Active bleeding at endoscopy†, n (%) | 192 (26.5%) | 131 (44.1%) | <0.001$ |
| Location of varices at index gastroscopy, n (%) | 0.092$ | ||
| Oesophageal varices only | 508 (70.2%) | 192 (64.6%) | |
| Oesophageal and gastric varices | 216 (29.8%) | 105 (35.4%) | |
| Size of varices (large), n (%) | 678 (93.6%) | 274 (92.3%) | 0.496$ |
| Previous variceal bleeding, n (%) | 392 (54.1%) | 201 (67.7%) | <0.001$ |
| Previous hepatic encephalopathy, n (%) | 20 (2.8%) | 12 (4.0%) | 0.381$ |
| Previous ascites, n (%) | 151 (20.9%) | 100 (33.7%) | <0.001$ |
| Hepatic encephalopathy at admission, n (%) | 18 (2.5%) | 15 (5.1%) | 0.055$ |
| Ascites at admission, n (%) | <0.001$ | ||
| Mild | 306 (42.3%) | 131 (44.1%) | |
| Moderate | 124 (17.1%) | 67 (22.6%) | |
| Massive | 41 (5.7%) | 24 (8.1%) | |
| White blood cell ( × 109 cell/L) | 7.1 ± 5.0 | 6.2 ± 4.3 | 0.013# |
| Haemoglobin (g/L) | 76.4 ± 21.5 | 74.4 ± 19.1 | 0.158# |
| Platelet count ( × 109/L) | 81.4 ± 57.2 | 74.3 ± 58 | 0.073# |
| International normalised ratio | 1.4 ± 0.3 | 1.5 ± 0.5 | <0.001# |
| Albumin (g/L) | 28 ± 4.9 | 29.4 ± 4.7 | <0.001# |
| Bilirubin (mg/dl) | 1.6 ± 1.4 | 1.6 ± 1.1 | 0.911# |
| Creatinine (mg/dl) | 0.9 ± 0.4 | 0.8 ± 0.3 | 0.110# |
| Sodium (mmol/L) | 138.6 ± 5 | 137.7 ± 5.8 | 0.011$ |
| Comorbidities‡, n (%) | 172 (23.8%) | 70 (23.6%) | 1.000$ |
| Hepatocellular carcinoma, n (%) | 23 (3.2%) | 11 (3.7%) | 0.808$ |
| Portal vein thrombosis, n (%) | 110 (15.2%) | 51 (17.2%) | 0.475$ |
| Heart rate at admission (beats/min) | 84.7 ± 16.1 | 83.9 ± 15.6 | 0.502# |
| Systolic blood pressure at admission (mm Hg) | 112 ± 17 | 111.8 ± 14.7 | 0.875# |
| Diastolic blood pressure at admission (mm Hg) | 66.8 ± 10.9 | 66.9 ± 10.1 | 0.885# |
| Infection at admission, n (%) | 66 (9.1%) | 15 (5.1%) | 0.041$ |
| Shock at admission∗, n (%) | 135 (18.6%) | 51 (17.2%) | 0.658$ |
| Blood transfusion, n (%) | 438 (60.5%) | 167 (56.2%) | 0.257$ |
| Vasoactive drugs, n (%) | 0.340$ | ||
| Octreotide | 555 (76.7%) | 225 (75.8%) | |
| Somatostatin | 124 (17.1%) | 59 (19.9%) | |
| Terlipressin | 45 (6.2%) | 13 (4.3%) | |
| Duration of vasoactive drugs, (days) | 4.6 ± 1.8 | 1.8 ± 0.7 | <0.001# |
Data presented as mean ± SD or number of patients (percentage) where appropriate.
CLIF-C AD score, Chronic Liver Failure-Consortium acute decompensation score; MELD, model for end-stage liver disease; p-TIPS, pre-emptive transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt.
Commodities include hypertension, coronary artery disease, and diabetes.
Child B8-9+AB criteria: Low risk: Child-Pugh B without active bleeding and Child-Pugh B7 with active bleeding; High risk: Child-Pugh B8-9 with active bleeding at endoscopy.
Active bleeding was defined as the presence of spurting or oozing from varices on endoscopy despite being on vasoactive drugs.
Hypovolemic shock was defined as systolic blood pressure <100 mmHg and heart rate >100 beats per minute.
Comparisons between groups of variables were done with the Student’s t test.
Comparisons between groups of variables were done with the chi-squared test.