Table 2. Patient characteristics.
| Normals (%) (n=6) |
End-stage HF (%) (n=13) |
Post LVAD (%) (n=5) |
p* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (yo) | 43 ± 6 | 57 ± 3 | 47 ± 5 | 0.10 |
| Male | 5 (83) | 11 (85) | 5 (100) | 0.35 |
| Dilated cardiomyopathy | — | 9 (69) | 3 (60) | 0.71 |
| Ejection fraction (%) | — | 17 ± 1 | 18 ± 4 | 0.69 |
| Plasma BNP (pg/ml) | — | 1761 ± 296 | 696 ± 369 | 0.04 |
| Past history | ||||
| Diabetes | — | 3 (23) | 0 (0) | 0.23 |
| Hypertension | — | 3 (23) | 2 (40) | 0.47 |
| Hyperlipidemia | — | 6 (46) | 1 (20) | 0.31 |
| Coronary artery disease | — | 3 (23.1) | 0 (0) | 0.24 |
| Arrhythmia | — | 4 (31) | 2 (40) | 0.71 |
| Chronic renal failure | — | 2 (15) | 1 (20) | 0.81 |
| Pulmonary disease | — | 4 (31) | 1 (20) | 0.71 |
| Medication | ||||
| Inotrope | — | 4 (31) | 0 (0) | 0.16 |
| Beta-blocker | — | 11 (85) | 4 (80) | 0.81 |
| ACEI/ARB | — | 9 (69) | 3 (60) | 0.71 |
| Spironolactone | — | 8 (62) | 1 (20) | 0.11 |
| Loop diuretics | — | 9 (69) | 6 (60) | 0.89 |
| Anti-arrythimics | — | 10 (77) | 4 (80) | 0.89 |
| Nitrate | — | 4 (31) | 1 (20) | 0.65 |
| PDE5 inhibitor | — | 0 (0) | 2 (40) | 0.02 |
| Anti-platelets | — | 6 (46) | 5 (100) | 0.04 |
| Statin | — | 6 (46) | 2 (40) | 0.81 |
| Warfarin | — | 8 (62) | 5 (100) | 0.10 |
BNP, B-type natriuretic peptide; ACE, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor; ARB,angiotensin receptor blockade; PDE5, phosphodiesterase-5.
*
p: End-stage HF vs post LVAD.