Table 1:
Characteristics of the sample (n=273)
| Mean±SD, or n (%) | |
|---|---|
| Patient Characteristics: | |
| Age (years) | 57.3±13.2 |
| Male | 167 (61.2%) |
| Non-Hispanic Caucasian | 231 (84.6%) |
| Education level | |
| Less than high school | 89 (32.6%) |
| >High school but < college | 122 (44.7%) |
| College degree | 62 (22.7%) |
| Body Mass Index (kg/m2) | 31.0±7.4 |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index (weighted) | 2.3±1.4 |
| Atrial Fibrillation | 109 (39.9%) |
| Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease | 40 (14.7%) |
| General Heart Failure Characteristics: | |
| Time with Heart Failure in years: median [IQR] | 4.2 [0.8–7.5] |
| NYHA Functional Class | |
| Class II | 106 (38.8%) |
| Class III | 157 (57.5%) |
| Class IV | 10 (3.7%) |
| Heart Failure Etiology | |
| Non-ischemic | 174 (63.6%) |
| Ischemic | 99 (36.3%) |
| Prescribed a β-blocker | 246 (90.8%) |
| Prescribed an ACE-I or ARB | 223 (81.6%) |
| Serum sodium (mEq/L) | 137.8±3.3 |
| Serum hematocrit (%) | 39.0±5.8 |
| Serum BUN-to-creatinine ratio (mg/dL:1) | 20.2±9.5 |
| Cardiac Biomechanics: | |
| Left ventricular internal end-diastolic diameter (cm) | 6.1±1.1 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction (%) | 28.3%±12.4% |
| Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (mm/Hg) | 19.0±8.5 |
| Right atrial pressure (mm/Hg) | 9.6±5.5 |
| Cardiac index (L/min/m2 by Fick equation) | 2.1±0.5 |
| Symptomatology: | |
| Physical symptoms (HFSPS Score; 0–90) | 24.6±16.7 |
| Depression (PHQ9; 0–27) | 7.2±6.1 |
| Anxiety (BSI; 0–4) | 0.53±0.63 |
Abbreviations: ACE-I, Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-Inhibitor; ARB, Angiotensin Receptor Blocker; BSI, Brief Symptom Inventory; HFSPS, Heart Failure Somatic Perception Scale; IQR, interquartile range; NYHA, New York Heart Association; PHQ9, Patient Health Questionnaire; SD, Standard Deviation