Table 3.
Baseline characteristics of the study sample
| Characteristic | N = 12 |
|---|---|
| Male sex | 9 (75) |
| Age (years) | 64 (49; 64) |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 29.8 (26.8; 31.6) |
| Duration of heart failure > 5 years | 9 (75) |
| Ischemic cause of heart failure | 4 (33.3) |
| NYHA class III | 7 (58.3) |
| LVEF, % | 36 (29; 41) |
| ICD/CRT | 6 (50%) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 3 (25) |
| Chronic obstructive lung disease (%) | 3 (25) |
| Hemoglobin, g/dl | 13.2(12.7; 13.9) |
| eGFR, ml/min/1.73m2 | 62 (53; 77) |
| NT-proBNP, pg/ml | 985 (455; 1936) |
| Medication | |
| Optimal medical therapy* | 10 (83) |
| ACEi/ARB (%) | 6 (50) |
| ARNI (%) | 5 (42) |
| Betablocker (%) | 10 (83) |
| Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (%) | 8 (67) |
| Diuretics (%) | 6 (50) |
| Ivabradine (%) | 2 (17) |
Data are n (%) or median (quartiles)
*According to ESC heart failure guidelines 2016
LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; NYHA, New York Heart Association class; ICD, implantable cardioverter defibrillator; CRT-(D), cardiac resynchronization therapy (defibrillator); eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate [37]; NT-proBNP, amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide; ACEi/ARB, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker; ARNI, angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor