Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics
| Characteristic | UC+PAL N = 75 | UC Alone N = 75 |
|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs | 71.9 (12.4) | 69.8 (13.4) |
| Female | 33 (44.0%) | 38 (50.7%) |
| Race | ||
| Black | 36 (48.0%) | 26 (34.7%) |
| Asian | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (1.3) |
| White | 38 (50.7%) | 48 (64.0%) |
| Other | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| History of coronary artery disease | 38 (50.7%) | 47 (62.7%) |
| History of stroke | 18 (24.0%) | 10 (13.3%) |
| History of hypertension | 61 (81.3%) | 52 (69.3%) |
| History of diabetes mellitus | 42 (56.0%) | 38 (50.7%) |
| NYHA class III | 54 (72.0%) | 58 (77.3%) |
| NYHA class IV | 15 (20.0%) | 5 (6.7%) |
| Ischemic heart failure | 34 (45.3%) | 38 (50.7%) |
| Level of impairment of most recent ejection fraction | ||
| Normal (>55%) | 21 (28.0%) | 14 (18.7%) |
| Mildly impaired (40–55%) | 14 (18.7%) | 19 (25.3%) |
| Moderately impaired (25–40%) | 17 (22.7%) | 14 (18.7%) |
| Severely impaired (<25%) | 23 (30.7%) | 28 (37.3%) |
| Prior ICD / pacemaker implantation | 35 (46.7%) | 34 (45.3%) |
| ICD only | 8 (10.7%) | 12 (16.0%) |
| Pacemaker only | 9 (12.0%) | 7 (9.3%) |
| Biventricular pacer only | 1 (1.3%) | 2 (2.7%) |
| Biventricular pacer and ICD | 17 (22.7%) | 13 (17.3%) |
| NT-proBNP, pg/mL | 10040.2 (9434.2) | 13212.4 (14698.2) |
| Duration of HF, months | 64.7 (70.0) | 69.1 (76.5) |
| Importance of religion/spirituality | ||
| Fairly | 15 (20.0%) | 13 (17.3%) |
| Deeply | 54 (72.0%) | 49 (65.3%) |
| Time spent in bed/couch/chair in past month | ||
| More than half | 16 (21.3%) | 20 (26.7%) |
| Almost all | 25 (33.3%) | 29 (38.7%) |
| Depression treated with medications | 12 (16.0%) | 13 (17.3%) |
| Alcohol abuse | 6 (8.0%) | 8 (10.7%) |
| Drug abuse | 5 (6.7%) | 5 (6.7%) |
| Creatinine, mg/dL | 1.8 (0.83) | 1.9 (0.81) |
| ACE inhibitor | 17 (22.7%) | 16 (21.3%) |
| ARB | 4 (5.3%) | 7 (9.3%) |
| Aldosterone antagonist | 30 (40.0%) | 22 (29.3%) |
| Aspirin | 54 (72.0%) | 46 (61.3%) |
| Beta-blocker | 51 (68.0%) | 48 (64.0%) |
| Diuretics | ||
| Bumetanide | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (1.3%) |
| Furosemide | 39 (52.0%) | 49 (65.3%) |
| Torsemide | 27 (36.0%) | 14 (18.7%) |
| Statin | 43 (57.3%) | 41 (54.7%) |
Values presented are means (standard deviations) for continuous variables and counts (percentages) for categorical variables. All p-values comparing treatment groups >0.05.
Abbreviations: ACE = angiotensin-converting enzyme; ARB = angiotensin receptor blocker; HF = heart failure; ICD = implantable cardioverter defibrillator; NT-proBNP = N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide; NYHA = New York Heart Association Heart Failure Classification; PAL = palliative car intervention; UC = usual care; ICD = implantable cardioverter defibrillator.