CRP and heart disorder: From an initial model containing APACHE III score, gender, cardiac disease, fluid balance, noradrenaline dose, CRP, EF and diastolic dysfunction, the backward elimination procedure yielded a 'best' model containing gender (P = 0.089), APACHE III score (P = 0.033), fluid balance (P = 0.001) and diastolic dysfunction (P = 0.009).