Table 1.
Baseline Clinical Characteristics of the Study Population Before LVAD Implantation (N = 31)
| Men | 30 (97) |
| Age, yrs | 48 ± 2 |
| Etiology | |
| Ischemic cardiomyopathy | 11 (35) |
| Nonischemic cardiomyopathy | 20 (65) |
| New York Heart Association functional class | |
| III | 10 (32) |
| IV | 21 (68) |
| Duration of heart failure history, yrs | 5.2 ± 0.6 |
| Systolic arterial pressure, mm Hg | 97.0 ± 1.5 |
| Diastolic arterial pressure, mm Hg | 66.0 ± 1.4 |
| Serum concentrations | |
| Brain natriuretic peptide, pg/ml | 1,568 ± 157 |
| Creatinine, mg/dl | 1.40 ± 0.05 |
| Sodium, mmol/l | 133.0 ± 0.7 |
| Hemoglobin, g/dl | 12.1 ± 0.3 |
Values are n (percentile of the total population) or mean ± SEM.
LVAD = left ventricular assist device.