Baseline characteristics in the group of patients under inotropic therapy
| Clinical characteristics | Total | Death/HTx | Discharge | P value |
| Median (IQR)/N (%) | Median (IQR)/N (%) | Median (IQR)/N (%) | ||
| Number of patients | 518 | 290 | 228 | |
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 178 (34.4) | 106 (36.6) | 72 (31.6) | 0.237 |
| Male | 340 (65.6) | 184 (63.4) | 156 (68.4) | |
| Age (years) | 57 (46–66) | 56 (45–65) | 58 (47–67) | 0.269 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Arterial hypertension | 251 (48.5) | 133 (45.9) | 118 (51.8) | 0.218 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 153 (29.6) | 91 (31.5) | 62 (27.2) | 0.288 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 201 (39.3) | 119 (41.6) | 82 (36.3) | 0.22 |
| Heart failure aetiology | ||||
| Dilated cardiomyopathy | 188 (36.3) | 98 (33.8) | 90 (39.5) | |
| Ischaemic heart disease | 124 (23.9) | 75 (25.9) | 49 (21.5) | |
| Chagas heart disease | 132 (25.7) | 81 (27.9) | 52 (22.8) | 0.245 |
| Valvular | 31 (6.0) | 17 (5.9) | 14 (6.1) | |
| Others | 42 (8.1) | 19 (6.6) | 23 (10.1) | |
| Medications | ||||
| Beta-blocker | 427 (82.4) | 241 (83.1) | 186 (81.6) | 0.651 |
| ACEi/ ARB | 336 (64.9) | 193 (66.6) | 143 (62.7) | 0.364 |
| Spironolactone | 312 (60.2) | 180 (62.1) | 132 (57.9) | 0.335 |
| Diuretics | 428 (82.6) | 248 (85.5) | 180 (78.9) | 0.05 |
| Digoxin | 138 (26.6) | 88 (30.3) | 50 (21.9) | 0.032 |
| Warfarin | 143 (27.6) | 86 (29.7) | 57 (25.0) | 0.239 |
| Acetylsalicylic acid | 149 (28.8) | 80 (27.6) | 69 (30.3) | 0.504 |
| Cardiac devices | ||||
| ICD | 41 (7.9) | 30 (10.3) | 11 (4.8) | 0.021 |
| CRT-D | 29 (5.6) | 18 (6.2) | 11 (4.8) | 0.497 |
| Admission diagnosis | ||||
| Progressive HF | 328 (63.3) | 176 (60.7) | 155 (66.7) | |
| Cardiogenic shock | 87 (16.9) | 56 (19.3) | 31 (13.7) | |
| Arrhythmia/syncope | 38 (7.4) | 22 (7.6) | 16 (7.1) | 0.213 |
| ACS | 15 (2.9) | 11 (3.8) | 4 (1.8) | |
| Others | 50 (9.7) | 25 (8.6) | 25 (11.0) | |
| Presence of precipitant factor | 241 (46.7) | 128 (44.1) | 113 (50.0) | 0.185 |
| Physical examination | ||||
| Congestion | 455 (87.8) | 265 (91.4) | 190 (83.3) | 0.005 |
| Hypoperfusion | 238 (46.3) | 139 (48.1) | 99 (44.0) | 0.355 |
| SBP (mm Hg) | 90 (80–105 | 90 (80–100) | 98 (84–110) | 0.001 |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 80 (69–98) | 80 (68–96) | 84 (70–103) | 0.04 |
| Laboratory findings (serum) | ||||
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 1.76 (1.31–2.52) | 1.81 (1.39–2.64) | 1.69 (1.27–2.49) | 0.13 |
| Urea (mg/dL) | 82 (56–127) | 88 (57–139) | 77 (55–113) | 0.029 |
| Sodium (mEq/L) | 136 (132–139) | 135 (132–138) | 137 (133–139) | 0.004 |
| Potassium (mEq/L) | 4.5 (4.0–5.0) | 4.5 (4.0–5.0) | 4.5 (3.9–5.0) | 0.717 |
| BNP (pg/dL) | 1236 (606–2195) | 1419 (747–2372) | 1037 (469–1796) | <0.001 |
| Echocardiographic findings | ||||
| LV ejection fraction (%) | 25 (21–30) | 25 (20–30) | 28 (24–32) | <0.001 |
| RV dysfunction | 232 (44.8) | 149 (51.4) | 83 (36.4) | 0.001 |
ACEi, ACE inhibitor; ACS, acute coronary syndrome; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; BNP, B natriuretic peptide; CRT-D, defibrillator with cardiac resynchronisation therapy; HF, heart failure; HTx, heart transplant; ICD, implantable cardioverter defibrillator; LV, left ventricle; RV, right ventricle; SBP, systolic blood pressure.