Table 1. Characteristics of the sample and by level of physical frailty*.
| Total (n = 49) | Not Physically Frail (n = 25)† | Physically Frail (n = 24) | p value‡ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
||||
| Age (years) | 57.4±9.7 | 54.8±11.7 | 60.1±6.4 | 0.06 |
| Male | 33 (67%) | 19 (76%) | 14 (58%) | 0.19 |
| Non-Hispanic Caucasian | 40 (82%) | 22 (88%) | 18 (75%) | 0.29 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 30.3±7.6 | 31.0±8.4 | 29.5±6.9 | 0.52 |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index (weighted) | 2.3±1.2 | 2.2±1.2 | 2.4±1.2 | 0.53 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 26 (53%) | 15 (60%) | 11 (46%) | 0.32 |
| Stage 3 chronic kidney disease | 9 (18%) | 3 (12%) | 6 (25%) | 0.29 |
| Out-patient (versus in-patient) at enrollment | 34 (69%) | 20 (80%) | 14 (58%) | 0.13 |
| Time with Heart failure (years) | 8.4 [2.4-14.8] | 8.4 [4.8-15.0] | 8.0 [1.0-13.5] | 0.21 |
| New York Heart Association Functional Class | <0.01 | |||
| Class II | 4 (8%) | 4 (16%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Class III | 34 (69%) | 19 (76%) | 15 (63%) | |
| Class IV | 11 (23%) | 2 (8%) | 9 (38%) | |
| Non-ischemic etiology | 33 (67%) | 19 (76%) | 14 (58%) | 0.19 |
| Prescribed a β-blocker | 35 (71%) | 20 (80%) | 15 (63%) | 0.22 |
| Prescribed an angiotensin-converting enzyme-inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker | 39 (80%) | 21 (84%) | 18 (75%) | 0.50 |
| Prescribed an aldosterone antagonist | 25 (51%) | 14 (56%) | 11 (46%) | 0.48 |
| Prescribed digoxin | 11 (23%) | 8 (32%) | 3 (13%) | 0.17 |
| Prescribed a vasodilator (nitrate or hydralazine) | 10 (20%) | 5 (20%) | 5 (21%) | 1.00 |
| ICD or Biventricular ICD | 39 (80%) | 23 (92%) | 16 (67%) | <0.04 |
| Serum sodium (mEq/L) | 136.8±3.9 | 138.1±2.8 | 135.4±4.4 | <0.02 |
| Serum hemoglobin (g/dL) | 13.3±1.7 | 13.4±1.7 | 13.2±1.6 | 0.67 |
| Serum creatinine (mg/dL) | 1.2±0.5 | 1.1±0.3 | 1.3±0.6 | 0.46 |
| Serum B-type natriuretic peptide (pg/mL) | 478 [267-1103] | 349 [111-807] | 699 [347-1323] | 0.08 |
| Serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (pg/mL) | 1234 [622-2686] | 714 [519-1158] | 1774 [985-2958] | 0.17 |
| Left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (cm) | 6.6±1.0 | 6.7±1.0 | 6.4±1.0 | 0.34 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction (%) | 24.3±8.9 | 25.2±6.8 | 23.3±10.7 | 0.47 |
| Peak VO2 (mL/kg/min) | 15.4±3.6 | 16.2±3.7 | 13.6±2.8 | <0.05 |
| VO2 at aerobic threshold (mL/kg/min) | 12.0±3.5 | 12.8±3.6 | 10.2±2.6 | 0.07 |
| Respiratory quotient | 1.1±0.2 | 1.1±0.2 | 1.2±0.1 | 0.55 |
| VE/VCO2 slope coefficient | 32.8±5.3 | 32.0±4.9 | 34.5±6.1 | 0.33 |
| Seattle Heart Failure Model projected 1 year survival (%) | 93.0 [81.0-96.0] | 95.0 [92.0-97.0] | 89.0 [70.0-95.0] | <0.01 |
| Mild cognitive dysfunction | 16 (33%) | 2 (8%) | 14 (58%) | <0.001 |
| Right atrial pressure (mmHg) | 8.3±4.2 | 8.0±4.0 | 8.5±4.5 | 0.68 |
| Pulmonary artery systolic pressure (mmHg) | 41.3±15.1 | 38.2±14.0 | 44.6±15.7 | 0.14 |
| Pulmonary artery diastolic pressure (mmHg) | 19.1±7.8 | 16.8±7.2 | 21.4±7.9 | <0.04 |
| Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (mmHg) | 18.8±8.1 | 17.2±7.1 | 20.4±9.0 | 0.18 |
| Mixed venous oxygen saturation (%) | 61.8±7.3 | 64.2±6.6 | 59.2±7.1 | <0.02 |
| Cardiac output (L/min by thermodilution) | 4.7±1.5 | 5.3±1.6 | 4.2±1.1 | <0.01 |
| Cardiac index (L/min/m2 by thermodilution) | 2.3±0.6 | 2.5±0.6 | 2.1±0.5 | <0.03 |
| Cardiac output (L/min by Fick equation) | 4.0±1.1 | 4.3±1.1 | 3.7±1.0 | 0.05 |
| Cardiac index (L/min/m2 by Fick equation) | 2.0±0.5 | 2.1±0.4 | 1.9±0.5 | 0.18 |
| Arterial systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 110.7±18.2 | 115.4± 15.8 | 105.8±19.6 | 0.08 |
| Arterial diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 69.7±8.6 | 69.1±7.4 | 70.4±9.9 | 0.64 |
| Heart rate (beats per min) | 79.0±16.2 | 73.4±12.7 | 84.8±17.6 | <0.02 |
| Pulmonary artery pulsatility index | 2.7 [2.1-3.4] | 2.8 [2.0-3.4] | 2.7 [2.1-3.6] | 0.99 |
| Right ventricular stroke work index | 0.57±0.28 | 0.59±0.27 | 0.55±0.28 | 0.59 |
*
Continuous data are presented as mean ± SD or median [interquartile range]; categorical data as number of patients (percentage of sample)
†
Not physically frail includes both non-frail (n = 1) and pre-frail (n = 24)
‡
p values comparing physically frail versus not physically frail
Abbreviations: ICD, implantable cardioverter defibrillator; VE/VCO2, ventilatory equivalent of carbon dioxide slope coefficient; VO2, peak oxygen consumption.