Table 1.
Patient characteristics
| Number of patients | 247 |
| Age in years (mean ± SD) | 76 ± 12 |
| Sex | |
| Male | 118 |
| Female | 129 |
| NYHA functional classification | |
| III | 33% |
| IV | 67% |
| Heart rate beats/minute (mean ± SD) | 91 ± 22 |
| Systolic blood pressure mmHg (mean ± SD) | 143 ± 29 |
| Diastolic blood pressure mmHg (mean ± SD) | 79 ± 16 |
| Respiratory rate breaths/minute (mean ± SD) | 25 ± 7 |
| Oxygen saturation %(mean ± SD) | 91 ± 6 |
| Ejection fraction %(mean ± SD) | 45 ± 13 |
| <50% | 59% |
| >50% | 41% |
| Past medical history % | |
| Hypertension | 70% |
| Coronary heart disease | 45% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 29% |
| Atrial fibrillation | 44% |
NYHA, New York Heart Association; SD, standard deviation.