Baseline characteristics of patients
| Clinical characteristics | Total | Inotrope use | No inotrope use | P value |
| Median (IQR)/N (%) | Median (IQR)/N (%) | Median (IQR)/N (%) | ||
| Number of patients | 737 | 518 | 219 | |
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 265 (36.0) | 178 (34.4) | 87 (39.7) | 166 |
| Male | 472 (64.0) | 340 (65.6) | 132 (60.3) | |
| Age (years) | 58 (48–66) | 57 (46–66) | 61 (52–69) | <0.001 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Arterial hypertension | 385 (52.2) | 251 (48.5) | 134 (61.2) | 0.002 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 229 (31.1) | 153 (29.6) | 76 (34.7) | 0.171 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 271 (36.8) | 201 (38.8) | 70 (32.0) | 0.096 |
| Heart failure aetiology | ||||
| Dilated cardiomyopathy | 273 (37.0) | 188 (36.3) | 85 (38.8) | |
| Ischaemic heart disease | 195 (26.5) | 124 (23.9) | 71 (32.4) | |
| Chagas heart disease | 163 (22.1) | 133 (25.7) | 30 (13.7) | <0.001 |
| Valvular | 37 (5.0) | 31 (6.0) | 6 (2.7) | |
| Others | 69 (9.4) | 42 (8.1) | 27 (12.3) | |
| Medications | ||||
| Beta-blocker | 604 (82.0) | 427 (82.4) | 177 (80.8) | 0.603 |
| ACEi/ARB | 483 (65.5) | 336 (64.9) | 147 (67.1) | 0.555 |
| Spironolactone | 425 (57.7) | 312 (60.2) | 113 (51.6) | 0.03 |
| Diuretics | 581 (78.8) | 428 (82.6) | 153 (69.9) | <0.001 |
| Digoxin | 175 (23.7) | 138 (26.6) | 37 (16.9) | 0.004 |
| Warfarin | 196 (26.6) | 143 (27.6) | 53 (24.2) | 0.385 |
| Acetylsalicylic acid | 239 (32.4) | 149 (28.8) | 90 (41.1) | 0.001 |
| Cardiac devices | ||||
| ICD | 56 (7.6) | 41 (7.9) | 15 (6.8) | 0.618 |
| CRT-D | 39 (5.3) | 29 (5.6) | 10 (4.6) | 0.567 |
| Admission diagnosis | ||||
| Progressive HF | 446 (60.5) | 328 (63.3) | 118 (53.9) | |
| Cardiogenic shock | 93 (12.6) | 87 (16.8) | 6 (2.7) | |
| Arrhythmia/syncope | 82 (11.1) | 38 (7.3) | 44 (20.1) | <0.001 |
| ACS | 28 (3.8) | 15 (2.9) | 13 (5.9) | |
| Others | 88 (11.9) | 50 (9.7) | 38 (17.4) | |
| Presence of precipitant factor | 390 (52.9) | 241 (46.5) | 149 (68.0) | <0.001 |
| Physical examination | ||||
| Congestion | 607 (82.4) | 455 (87.8) | 152 (69.4) | <0.001 |
| Hypoperfusion | 266 (36.3) | 238 (46.3) | 28 (12.8) | <0.001 |
| SBP (mm Hg) | 100 (85–112) | 90 (80–105) | 110 (100–130) | <0.001 |
| SBP ≤90 mm Hg | 210 (28.4) | 192 (37.1) | 18 (8.2) | <0.001 |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 80 (68–98) | 80 (69–98) | 78 (64–96) | 0.053 |
| Laboratory findings (serum) | ||||
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 1.64 (1.21–2.35) | 1.77 (1.31–2.51) | 1.34 (1.07–1.90) | <0.001 |
| Urea (mg/dL) | 74 (49–113) | 82 (56–127) | 57 (39–87) | <0.001 |
| Sodium (mEq/L) | 137 (133–140) | 136 (132–139) | 139 (136–141) | <0.001 |
| Potassium (mEq/L) | 4.4 (4.0–4.9) | 4.5 (4.0–5.0) | 4.4 (3.9–4.7) | 0.02 |
| BNP (pg/dL) | 1089 (472–2025) | 1239 (606–2201) | 595 (291–1335) | <0.001 |
| Echocardiographic findings | ||||
| LV ejection fraction (%) | 26 (22–35) | 25 (21–30) | 30 (25–40) | <0.001 |
| RV disfunction | 278 (37.7) | 232 (44.8) | 46 (21.0) | <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; ICD, implantable cardioverter defibrillator; LV, left ventricle; RV, right ventricle; SBP, systolic blood pressure.