Table 1.
Patient baseline characteristics, differentiated between control and intervention groups
| All N = 116 | IG n = 60 | CG n = 56 | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 58 (50%) | 30 (50%) | 28 (50%) | 1.0 |
| Men | 58 (50%) | 30 (50%) | 28 (50%) | |
| Age, years M ± SD | 76.1 ± 6.6 | 75.9 ± 6.6 | 76.4 ± 6.6 | 0.711 |
| Height, m, M ± SD | 1.67 ± 0.1 | 1.67 ± 0.1 | 1.67 ± 0.1 | 0.915 |
| Weight, kg, M ± SD | 78 ± 14.7 | 78.2 ± 13.9 | 77.9 ± 15.5 | 0.921 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 M ± SD | 27.7 ± 4.3 | 27.9 ± 3.9 | 27.6 ± 4.9 | 0.643 |
| LV EF (%), M ± SD | 45.9 ± 9.0 | 46.9 ± 8.6 | 44.9 ± 9.4 | 0.232 |
| Post-surgery, days, mean M ± SD | 14.5 ± 5.9 | 14.3 ± 5.7 | 14.8 ± 6.3 | 0.611 |
| Cardiovascular risk factors, n (%) | ||||
| Hyperlipidemia | 74 (63.8%) | 37 (61.7%) | 37 (66.1%) | 0.622 |
| Arterial hypertension, n (%) | 96 (82.8%) | 52 (86.7%) | 44 (78.6%) | 0.249 |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 23 (19.8%) | 9 (15%) | 14 (25%) | 0.177 |
| Surgery/intervention | ||||
| Isolated/combined valve surgery n (%) | 44 (37.9%) | 21 (35%) | 23 (41.1%) | 0.501 |
| Valve and bypass surgery, n (%) | 47 (40.5%) | 28 (46.7%) | 19 (33.9%) | 0.163 |
| Aortic valve surgery, n (%) | 67 (57.8%) | 40 (66.7%) | 27 (48.2%) | 0.044 |
| Mitral valve surgery, n (%) | 22 (19%) | 9 (15%) | 13 (23.2%) | 0.259 |
| Tricuspid valve surgery, n (%) | 26 (22.4%) | 12 (20%) | 14 (25%) | 0.519 |
| TAVI n (%) | 25 (21.6%) | 11 (18.3%) | 14 (25%) | 0.383 |
| New York Heart Association Class (NYHA), n (%) | ||||
| NYHA II | 45 (38.8%) | 25 (41.7%) | 20 (35.7%) | 0.511 |
| NYHA III | 71 (61.2%) | 35 (58.3%) | 36 (64.3%) | |
| Atrial fibrillation, n (%) | ||||
| Paroxysmal | 3 (2.6%) | 1 (1.7%) | 2 (3.6%) | 0.518 |
| Persistent | 28 (24.1) | 13 (21.7%) | 15 (26.8%) | 0.520 |
| Permanent | 28 (24.1%) | 13 (21.7%) | 15 (26.8%) | 0.520 |
| Physical capacity | ||||
| Peak work load (Watt/kg) M ± SD | 0.87 ± 0.26 | 0.92 ± 0.85 | 0.83 ± 0.19 | 0.283 |
| peak VO2 (ml/kg/min) M ± SD | 11.3 ± 3.56 | 11.2 ± 4.38 | 11.3 ± 2.81 | 0.909 |
| Six-minute walking distance (m) M ± SD | 239 ± 9.6 | 246 ± 93.5 | 231 ± 98.8 | 0.437 |
| Physical frailty level according to SPPB score n, (%) | ||||
| Frail (0–7) | 35 (36.8%) | 20 (37.7%) | 15 (35.7%) | 0.839 |
| Pre-frail (8, 9) | 28 (29.5%) | 13 (24.5%) | 15 (35.7%) | 0.235 |
| Robust (10–12) | 31 (33.7%) | 20 (37.7%) | 11 (26.2%) | 0.233 |
| Physical frailty level according to five meters walking test (5MWT) n, (%) | ||||
| Frail (≤0,69 m/s) | 36 (39.1%) | 20 (38.5%) | 16 (40%) | 0.881 |
| Pre-frail (0,7–0,99 m/s) | 38 (41.3%) | 20 (38.5%) | 18 (45%) | 0.528 |
| Robust (≥1,0 m/s) | 18 (19.6%) | 12 (23.5%) | 6 (15%) | 0.311 |
| Comorbidities, n (%) | ||||
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 9 (7.8%) | 1 (1.7%) | 8 (14.3%) | 0.011 |
| Degenerative joint disease | 9 (7.8%) | 4 (6.7%) | 5 (8.9%) | 0.649 |
| Cancer | 6 (5.2%) | 2 (3.4%) | 4 (7.2%) | 0.328 |
| Medication, n (%) | ||||
| Platelet inhibitor | 51 (44%) | 23 (38.3%) | 28 (50%) | 0.206 |
| Warfarin | 95 (81.9%) | 49 (81.7) | 46 (82.1%) | 0.947 |
| Beta-receptor-blocker | 108 (93.1%) | 55 (91.7%) | 53 (94.6%) | 0.527 |
| Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors | 102 (87.9%) | 53 (88.3%) | 49 (87.5%) | 0.948 |
| Diuretic | 106 (91.4%) | 53 (88.3%) | 53 (94.6%) | 0.226 |
| Statin | 58 (50%) | 33 (55%) | 25 (44.6%) | 0.265 |
| Oral antidiabetic medication | 13 (11.2%) | 4 (6.7%) | 9 (16.1%) | 0.109 |
| Insulin | 5 (4.3%) | 1 (1.7%) | 4 (7.1%) | 0.147 |
Abbrevations: IG intervention group, CG control group, n number, M mean, SD standard deviation, m meters, kg kilograms, ml mililiters, min minutes, SPPB short physical performance battery test, LV EF left ventricular ejection fraction, TAVI transcatheter aortic valve implantation