Table 1.
Patient Demographics
| All patients (N = 61) | Dartmouth (n = 32) | UAB (n = 29) | p * | d † | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | |||
| Age, Mean (SD) | 70.59 (10.7) | 73.41 (10.8) | 67.48 (9.8) | 0.03 | 0.55 |
| Male | 31 (50.8) | 18 (56.2) | 13 (44.8) | 0.37 | 0.23 |
| Race | |||||
| White | 49 (80.3) | 31 (96.9) | 18 (62.1) | ||
| Black | 11 (18.0) | 0 (0) | 11 (37.9) | <.0001 | 0.95 |
| Other | 1 (1.6) | 1 (3.1) | 11 (37.9) | ||
| Religion | |||||
| Protestant | 40 (65.6) | 13 (40.6) | 27 (93.1) | ||
| Catholic | 10 (16.4) | 8 (25.0) | 2 (6.9) | <.0001 | 1.04 |
| Other | 4 (6.6) | 4 (12.5) | 0 (0) | ||
| None | 7 (11.5) | 7 (21.9) | 0 (0) | ||
| Marital Status | |||||
| Never married | 6 (9.8) | 0 (0) | 6 (20.7) | ||
| Married or living with partner | 38 (62.3) | 21 (65.6) | 17 (58.6) | 0.04 | 0.55 |
| Divorced or separated | 4 (6.6) | 3 (9.4) | 1 (3.5) | ||
| Widowed | 13 (21.3) | 8 (25.0) | 5 (17.2) | ||
| Work status | |||||
| Employed | 6 (9.8) | 3 (9.4) | 3 (10.3) | ||
| Retired/Homemaker | 34 (55.7) | 23 (71.9) | 11 (37.9) | 0.02 | 0.60 |
| Not employed | 3 (4.9) | 0 (0) | 3 (10.3) | ||
| Disability | 18 (29.5) | 6 (18.8) | 12 (41.4) | ||
| Education | |||||
| < High school graduate | 4 (6.6) | 1 (3.1) | 3 (10.3) | ||
| High school graduate or GED | 26 (42.6) | 12 (37.5) | 14 (48.3) | ||
| Some college or technical school | 15 (24.6) | 9 (28.1) | 6 (20.7) | 0.42 | 0.21 |
| College graduate | 9 (14.8) | 4 (12.5) | 5 (17.2) | ||
| Graduate degree | 5 (8.2) | 4 (12.5) | 1 (3.5) | ||
| No response | 2 (3.3) | 2 (6.3) | 0 (0) | ||
| Medical insurance | |||||
| Private/commercial | 8 (13.1) | 4 (12.5) | 4 (13.8) | ||
| Medicare/Medicaid | 14 (23.0) | 7 (21.9) | 7 (24.1) | 0.95 | 0.01 |
| Medicare and Private | 39 (63.9) | 21 (65.6) | 18 (62.0) | ||
| NYHA class | |||||
| Class I | 1 (1.6) | 0 (0) | 1 (3.5) | 0.01 | 0.74 |
| Class II | 3 (4.9) | 2 (6.3) | 1 (3.5) | ||
| Class IIIa | 25 (41.0) | 7 (21.9) | 18 (62.0) | ||
| Class IIIb | 18 (29.5) | 14 (43.8) | 4 (13.8) | ||
| Class IV | 12 (19.7) | 9 (28.1) | 3 (10.3) | ||
| Missing/Not recorded | 2 (3.3) | 0 (0) | 2 (6.9) | ||
| Ejection Fraction, Mean (SD) | 37.86 (16.3) | 36.81 (16.9) | 39.05 (15.8) | 0.60 | 0.14 |
| Implanted Cardiac Devices | |||||
| None | 28 (45.9) | 10 (31.3) | 18 (62.0) | 0.16 | 0.36 |
| BiV Pacemaker | 7 (11.5) | 5 (15.6) | 2 (6.9) | ||
| ICD | 13 (21.3) | 9 (28.1) | 4 (13.8) | ||
| BiV ICD | 11 (18.0) | 7 (21.9) | 4 (13.8) | ||
| Missing/Not recorded | 2 (3.3) | 1 (3.1) | 1 (3.5) | ||
| Heart Medications | |||||
| ACE-I | 20 (32.8) | 11 (34.4) | 9 (31.0) | 0.78 | 0.07 |
| Beta-blocker | 49 (80.3) | 29 (90.6) | 20 (69.0) | 0.05 | 0.51 |
| ARB | 18 (29.5) | 13 (40.6) | 5 (17.2) | 0.05 | 0.50 |
| Statin | 36 (59.0) | 17 (53.1) | 19 (65.5) | 0.44 | 0.20 |
| Allopurinol | 8 (13.1) | 5 (15.6) | 3 (10.3) | 0.71 | 0.10 |
| Aldosterone blocker | 27 (44.3) | 17 (53.1) | 10 (34.5) | 0.20 | 0.33 |
| None | 3 (4.9) | 1 (3.1) | 2 (6.9) | 0.60 | 0.14 |
| Diuretic Intake (mg) | |||||
| Furosemide | 29.02 (42.9) | 32.19 (47.1) | 25.52 (38.1) | 0.55 | 0.16 |
| Bumetanide | 0.03 (0.3) | 0 (0) | 0.07 (0.4) | - | - |
| Torsemide | 25.57 (44.0) | 36.88 (48.9) | 24.14 (38.6) | 0.81 | 0.06 |
| Metolazone | 0.38 (1.2) | 0 (0) | 0.72 (1.7) | - | - |
| Hydrochlorothiazide | 1.02 (4.7) | 0.78 (4.4) | 1.28 (5.1) | 0.69 | 0.11 |
| Lab data, median | |||||
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 12.3 [9–16.4] | 12.45 [9–16.4] | 12.3 [10.1–16.2] | 0.70 | 0.10 |
| Lymphocyte %WBC | 16.95 [3–48] | 22.4 [3–48] | 10 [4–42] | 0.02 | 0.58 |
| Uric acid (mg/dL) | 6.65 [0–11] | 7.25 [0–11] | 2.05 [0–7.3] | 0.01 | 1.15 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 146 [0–253] | 139 [0–253] | 151 [0–259] | 0.26 | 0.34 |
| Sodium (mmol/L) | 139 [123–145] | 139.5 [123–145] | 139 [127–145] | 0.78 | 0.07 |
| Seattle Heart Failure Model | |||||
| 1-year survival probability, SD | 0.84 (0.1) | 0.82 (0.2) | 0.87 (0.1) | 0.13 | 0.38 |
| 2-year survival probability, SD | 0.72 (0.2) | 0.69 (0.2) | 0.76 (0.1) | 0.14 | 0.39 |
| 5-year survival probability, SD | 0.49 (0.2) | 0.45 (0.2) | 0.53 (0.2) | 0.18 | 0.36 |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index | 6.66 (92.5) | 6.84 (1.8) | 6.45 (3.0) | 0.55 | 0.16 |
| Rural Location | 44 (72.1) | 31 (96.9) | 13 (44.8) | - | - |
Abbreviations: SD standard deviation, GED General Education Development, NYHA New York Heart Association, BiV biventricular, ICD implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, ACE-I angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor; ARB = angiotensin receptor blocker
* p-values from t-test, Chi-squared, or Fisher’s exact tests, as appropriate
†Effect size: Cohen’s d or d-equivalent: small: d ~ 0.2, medium d ~ 0.5, large d ~ 0.8