Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of the Study Population, According to Treatment Group.*
| Characteristic | Telemonitoring (N = 826) |
Usual Care (N = 827) |
Total (N = 1653) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age — yr | |||
| Median | 61 | 61 | 61 |
| Interquartile range | 51–73 | 51–73 | 51–73 |
| Female sex — no. (%) | 359 (43.5) | 336 (40.6) | 695 (42.0) |
| Race — no. (%)† | |||
| White | 413 (50.1) | 402 (48.6) | 815 (49.3) |
| Black | 314 (38.0) | 330 (39.9) | 644 (39.0) |
| Other | 98 (11.9) | 96 (11.6) | 194 (11.7) |
| Hispanic or Latino ethnic group — no. (%)† | 22 (2.7) | 23 (2.8) | 45 (2.7) |
| NYHA class — no. (%) | |||
| I | 48 (5.8) | 52 (6.3) | 100 (6.0) |
| II | 301 (36.4) | 306 (37.0) | 607 (36.7) |
| III | 416 (50.4) | 423 (51.1) | 839 (50.8) |
| IV | 61 (7.4) | 46 (5.6) | 107 (6.5) |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction <40% — no./total no. (%) | 572/806 (71.0) | 563/802 (70.2) | 1135/1608 (70.6) |
| Chronic kidney disease — no./total no. (%)‡ | 370/814 (45.5) | 378/813 (46.5) | 748/1627 (46.0) |
| COPD — no. (%) | 169 (20.5) | 177 (21.4) | 346 (20.9) |
| Diabetes mellitus — no. (%) | 394 (47.7) | 378 (45.7) | 772 (46.7) |
| Hypertension — no. (%) | 632 (76.5) | 639 (77.3) | 1271 (76.9) |
| Coronary artery disease — no. (%) | 432 (52.3) | 403 (48.7) | 835 (50.5) |
| Blood pressure — mm Hg | |||
| Systolic | 121.5±22.8 | 120.3±21.6 | 120.9±22.2 |
| Diastolic | 71.1±13.9 | 70.6±13.7 | 70.8±13.8 |
| Serum potassium — mmol/liter | 4.1±0.6 | 4.1±0.6 | 4.1±0.6 |
| Blood urea nitrogen — mg/dl | 27.8±18.0 | 26.8±17.2 | 27.3±17.6 |
| Serum creatinine — mg/dl | 1.5±0.8 | 1.4±0.7 | 1.5±0.7 |
| Medications — no. (%) | |||
| ACE inhibitor or ARB | 549 (66.5) | 557 (67.4) | 1106 (66.9) |
| Beta-blocker | 668 (80.9) | 641 (77.5) | 1309 (79.2) |
| Loop diuretic | 646 (78.2) | 646 (78.1) | 1292 (78.2) |
| Digoxin | 214 (25.9) | 198 (23.9) | 412 (24.9) |
| Aldosterone-receptor antagonist | 266 (32.2) | 277 (33.5) | 543 (32.8) |
| Did not graduate from high school — no./total no. (%) | 167/701 (23.8) | 171/711 (24.1) | 338/1412 (23.9) |
| Annual household income <$10,000 — no./total no. (%) | 168/571 (29.4) | 152/585 (26.0) | 320/1156 (27.7) |
*
All comparisons between the two groups were nonsignificant (P>0.05). To convert values for blood urea nitrogen to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.357. To convert values for creatinine to micromoles per liter, multiply by 88.4. ACE denotes angiotensin-converting enzyme, ARB angiotensin-receptor blocker, COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and NYHA New York Heart Association.
†
Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnic group (which was considered a subcategory of white race) were self-reported.
‡
Chronic kidney disease was defined by a glomerular filtration rate of less than 60 ml per minute.13