Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
| NoET (n = 16) | ET (n = 14) | Dropouts (n = 15) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yr | 55.0 ± 2.0 | 54.0 ± 4.0 | 54.0 ± 3.0 |
| Sex, M/F | 9/7 | 7/7 | 8/7 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 26.9 ± 1.2 | 25.2 ± 0.9 | 28.0 ± 2.0 |
| LVEF, % | 27.0 ± 1.0 | 28.0 ± 3.0 | 28.0 ± 2.0 |
| Peak VO2, ml·kg−1·min−1 | 19.2 ± 1.1 | 17.9 ± 1.0 | 17.4 ± 1.4 |
| Heart rate, beats/min | 67.0 ± 2.0 | 67.0 ± 2.0 | 66.0 ± 4.0 |
| MAP, mmHg | 90.0 ± 2.0 | 89.0 ± 4.0 | 86.0 ± 6.0 |
| MSNA, bursts/min | 39.0 ± 4.0 | 39.0 ± 5.0 | 44.0 ± 4.0 |
| MSNA, bursts/100 heart beats | 66.0 ± 7.0 | 65.0 ± 7.0 | 68.0 ± 9.0 |
| FBF, ml·min−1·100 ml−1 | 1.5 ± 0.1 | 1.6 ± 0.1 | 1.7 ± 0.1 |
| FVC, units | 1.7 ± 0.1 | 1.6 ± 0.1 | 1.9 ± 0.2 |
| HF etiology | |||
| Idiopathic | 9 | 6 | 7 |
| Chagasic | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Ischemic | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Hypertensive | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Medications | |||
| ACE-I/ARB | 14 | 14 | 10 |
| Digoxin | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Diuretics | 8 | 12 | 8 |
| Spironolactone | 14 | 13 | 7 |
| β-Adrenergic blocker | 16 | 14 | 15 |
| NYHA functional class | |||
| I | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| II | 8 | 11 | 5 |
| III | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| IV | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Applicable values are means ± SE. ACE-I, angiotensin-converting enzyme; ARB, angiotensin receptor; BMI, body mass index; ET, exercise-trained group; FBF, forearm blood flow; FVC, forearm vascular conductance; HF, heart failure; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; MAP, mean arterial pressure; MSNA, muscle sympathetic nerve activity; NoET, untrained group; NYHA, New York Heart Association; VO2, oxygen consumption.