Table 1.
Patient clinical characteristics in the overall population and by left ventricle ejection fraction.
| Variable | Total Population (n = 208) |
HFrEF (n = 125) |
HFpEF (n = 83) |
p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||
| Age, years | 75.9 (69.6–83.5) | 74 (68.2–80) | 79.6 (71.9–86.1) | 0.005 |
| Female gender | 75 (36) | 39 (31) | 36 (43) | 0.1 |
| BSA (m2) | 1.91 (1.87–1.96) | 1.91 (1.84–2.01) | 1.87 (1.76–2.02) | 0.3 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27.1 (24.7–31.2) | 26.2 (26.6–29.5) | 26.8 (23.2–31.9) | 0.8 |
| Family history of CVD | 40 (19) | 21 (17) | 19 (23) | 0.1 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 74 (36) | 41 (33) | 33 (40) | 0.1 |
| Arterial hypertension | 171 (82) | 100 (80) | 71 (86) | 0.3 |
| Dyslipidaemia ^ | 80 (37) | 50 (40) | 30 (36) | 0.1 |
| CAD | 80 (37) | 51 (41) | 29 (35) | 0.1 |
| Previous MI | 73 (35) | 53 (42) | 20 (24) | 0.01 |
| Previous coronary revascularization | 75 (36) | 51 (41) | 24 (29) | 0.1 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 66 (32) | 36 (29) | 30 (36) | 0.4 |
| In-hospital evaluation | ||||
| NYHA class II at admission | 79 (38) | 40 (32) | 39 (42) | 0.2 |
| NYHA class III at admission | 69 (33) | 45 (36) | 24 (29) | 0.3 |
| NYHA class IV at admission | 60 (29) | 40 (32) | 20 (24) | 0.2 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) at admission | 1.27 (0.99–1.55) | 1.29 (1.08–1.55) | 1.24 (0.88–1-40) | 0.1 |
| eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m2) at admission | 57 (43.8–74.1) | 55.9 (43.7–69.1) | 62.1 (49.6–81.5) | 0.1 |
| NT-proBNP (pg/mL) at admission | 4325 (2021–365) | 4601 (2099–9108) | 3004 (1322–5644) | 0.03 |
| NT-proBNP (pg/mL) at discharge * | 2742 (1140–6167) | 3109 (1228–6111) | 2254 (922–6949) | 0.3 |
| Admission chest X-ray | ||||
| Vascular congestion | 183 (88) | 111 (89) | 72 (87) | 0.7 |
| Interstitial edema | 154 (74) | 95 (76) | 59 (71) | 0.5 |
| Alveolar edema | 25 (12) | 17 (14) | 8 (10) | 0.5 |
| Unilateral pleural effusion | 48 (23) | 31 (25) | 17 (20) | 0.5 |
| Bilateral pleural effusion | 17 (8) | 11 (9) | 6 (7) | 0.8 |
| Overall in-hospital i.v.diuresis (L) | 10.5 (7.4–14.6) | 11.3 (8.1–14.6) | 9.5 (7.3–14.5) | 0.1 |
| Overall in-hospital i.v. furosemide (mg) | 340 (190–535) | 370 (220–625) | 220 (165–480) | 0.5 |
| Patients receiving i.v. inotropes | 17 (8) | 17 (14) | 0 | 0.001 |
| Hospital length of stay (days) | 7 (5–13) | 8 (6–13) | 6 (5–13) | 0.1 |
| Home medications at discharge | ||||
| Beta-blockers | 148 (71) | 94 (75) | 54 (65) | 0.2 |
| ACE inhibitor/ARB | 165 (79) | 105 (84) | 60 (72) | 0.1 |
| MRA | 139 (67) | 94 (75) | 45 (54) | 0.003 |
| Furosemide | 200 (96) | 123 (98) | 77 (93) | 0.1 |
| Furosemide dose (mg/day) | 50 (25–125) | 50 (25–75) | 75 (50–125) | 0.1 |
| Thiazide/thiazide-like diuretics | 25 (12) | 13 (10) | 12 (15) | 0.4 |
| Digoxin | 46 (22) | 36 (29) | 10 (12) | 0.007 |
| Calcium-channel blockers | 35 (17) | 11 (9) | 24 (29) | 0.0004 |
| Amiodarone | 13 (6) | 11 (9) | 2 (2) | 0.1 |
| Statins | 50 (24) | 31 (25) | 19 (23) | 0.4 |
| Oral anticoagulants | 63 (30) | 35 (28) | 28 (34) | 0.4 |
| Antiplatelet drugs | 33 (16) | 22 (18) | 11 (13) | 0.4 |
| Outcomes at 180 days | ||||
| Cardiovascular death | 5 (2) | 3 (2) | 2 (2) | 0.8 |
| Re-hospitalization for HF | 36 (17) | 22 (18) | 14 (17) | 0.7 |
| Composite end-point | 38 (18) | 23 (18) | 15 (18) | 0.8 |
Data are presented as number and %, mean and 95% confidence interval if normally distributed or median and first and third quartile if not normally distributed. ^ total cholesterol ≥ 200 mg/dL or LDL-C ≥ 130 mg/dL or on lipid-lowering therapy. * available in 148/208 patients (71%). Bold emphasizes significant p-values. i.v.: intravenous; ACE: angiotensin-converting enzyme; ACS: acute coronary syndrome; ARB: angiotensin receptor blocker; BMI: body mass index; BSA: body surface area; CAD: coronary artery disease; CRP: C-reactive protein; CVD: cardiovascular disease; eGFR: estimated glomerular filtration rate; HFpEF: heart failure with preserved ejection fraction; HFrEF: heart failure with reduced ejection fraction; MI: myocardial infarction; MRA: mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist; NYHA: New York Heart Association; NT-proBNP: N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide.