Table 1.
Baseline outpatient characteristics
| Age in years | Mean: 58.8 (range 33–87) |
| Gender | M = 24, F = 13 |
| Race | White 18, African American 19 |
| DM | 51% (n = 19) |
| HTN | 54% (n = 20) |
| Cause of cardiac dysfunction | |
| Ischemic | 24% (n = 9) |
| Non-ischemic | 41% (n = 15) |
| Valvular | 5% (n = 2) |
| Right-sided | 30% (n = 11) |
| LVEF | Mean: 30% SD 16.5 |
| RVEF | Mean: 32% SD 12.2 |
| Medication prior to admission | |
| ASA | 59% (n = 22) |
| Beta-blocker | 70% (n = 26) |
| ACE/ARB | 43% (n = 16) |
| Aldosterone antagonist | 32% (n = 12) |
| Digoxin | 32% (n = 12) |
| Hydralazine/ISDN | 32% (n = 12) |
| Loop diuretic | 95% (n = 35) |
| Loop diuretic dose (mg of furosemide equivalent) | Mean: 174 (range 0–400) |
| Second-site diuretic | 24% (n = 9) |
| Home inotropes | 24% (n = 9) |
| Baseline creatinine in mg/dL | 1.75 ± 0.43 |
DM, diabetes mellitus; HTN, hypertension; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; RVEF, right ventricular ejection fraction; ASA, aspirin; ACE/ARB, angiotensin-converting enzyme/ angiotensin receptor blocker; ISDN, isosorbide dinitrate; SD, standard deviation.