Table 1.
Mean baseline characteristics of participants by group
| Intervention N = 66 | Control N = 69 | |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical characteristics | ||
| Age (years) | 78.2 ± 8.0 | 80.2 ± 7.3 |
| Female sex | 35 (53.0%) | 38 (55.1%) |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 28.3 ± 7.0 | 28.5 ± 6.3 |
| LVEF (%) | 51.7 ± 17.9 | 55.6 ± 15.6 |
| NYHA class | 2.6 ± 1.0 | 2.4 ± 1.0 |
| Heart failure | 22 (33.3%) | 19 (27.5%) |
| Diabetes | 29 (43.9%) | 42 (60.9%) |
| Percutaneous coronary intervention* | 8 (12.1%) | 88 (11.6%) |
| Cardiac surgery/transcatheter valve procedure* | 15 (22.7%) | 15 (21.7%) |
| Hospital days post-randomization | 11.5 ± 12.7 | 10.5 ± 10.7 |
| Reason for admission: | ||
| Ischaemic heart disease | 21 (31.8) | 19 (27.5) |
| Arrhythmia | 13 (19.7) | 5 (7.2) |
| Valvular heart disease | 6 (9.1) | 8 (11.6) |
| Congestive heart failure | 16 (24.2) | 23 (33.3) |
| Other | 10 (15.2) | 14 (20.3) |
| Frailty markers | ||
| EFT (out of 5) | 2.7 ± 1.1 | 2.8 ± 1.0 |
| SPPB (out of 12) | 4.4 ± 3.1 | 4.6 ± 2.9 |
| SARC-F (out of 10) | 5.4 ± 2.6 | 4.9 ± 2.6 |
| CFS (out of 9) | 4.4 ± 1.5 | 4.6 ± 1.4 |
| MMSE (out of 30) | 25.4 ± 3.6 | 25.6 ± 3.3 |
| PONS (out of 3) | 0.8 ± 0.8 | 0.6 ± 0.7 |
| Albumin (g/L) | 34.0 ± 4.5 | 34.8 ± 4.4 |
| Haemoglobin (g/L) | 105.1 ± 20.0 | 107.4 ± 19.4 |
| IDA | 28 (42.4%) | 23 (33.3%) |
*During the index hospital admission. BMI, body mass index; CFS, clinical frailty scale; EFT, essential frailty toolset; IDA, iron deficiency anaemia; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; MMSE, mini mental state examination; NYHA Class, New York Heart Association Functional Classification; PONS, preoperative nutrition score; SPPB, short physical performance battery.