Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
| Variable | Device-Guided Slow Breathing Group | Sham Group | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| n | 13 | 10 | |
| Age, yr | 35 ± 2 | 32 ± 1 | 0.182 |
| Sex, men/women | 12/1 | 9/1 | 0.846 |
| Race, non-Hispanic black/non-Hispanic white | 9/4 | 9/1 | 0.231 |
| Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor use, n (%) | 3 (23) | 3 (30) | 0.537 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 32 ± 1 | 28 ± 1 | 0.354 |
| Clinician-administered posttraumatic stress disorder scale score | 72 ± 5 | 68 ± 6 | 0.594 |
| Sysolic blood pressure, mmHg | 120 ± 3 | 124 ± 4 | 0.431 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg | 78 ± 2 | 80 ± 3 | 0.676 |
| Mean arterial pressure, mmHg | 92 ± 3 | 95 ± 3 | 0.555 |
| Heart rate, beats/min | 72 ± 4 | 74 ± 4 | 0.795 |
| Respiratory rate breaths/min | 19 ± 1 | 18 ± 1 | 0.346 |
| MSNA, bursts | 27 ± 3 | 14 ± 1 | 0.004* |
| MSNA, bursts/100 heart beats | 40 ± 4 | 22 ± 2 | 0.001* |
| Sympathetic BRS, bursts·100 heart beats−1·mmHg−1 | −1.1 ± 0.2 | −1.5 ± 0.3 | 0.379 |
| Cardiovagal BRS, ms/mmHg | 13.1 ± 1.6 | 11.9 ± 2.4 | 0.659 |
Data are means ± SE; n, number of subjects/group [for muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and sympathetic baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), n = 12 in the device-guided slow breathing group and 10 in the sham group]. Seated blood pressure values were measured.
*
Two-tailed P < 0.05.