Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of the enrolled patients.
| All (n = 220) | Lower-risk patients (n = 110) | Higher-risk patients (n = 110) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median age (IQR), years | 67 (59–74) | 65 (58–71) | 68 (62–76) | 0.110 |
| Female sex, N (%) | 51 (23) | 18 (16) | 33 (30) | 0.025 |
| Median body mass index (IQR), kg/m2 | 23.5 (20.8–25.2) | 23.4 (20.5–25.2) | 23.5 (21.0–25.4) | 0.625 |
| Median BNP level (IQR), pg/ml | 215.2 (104.1–494.7) | 213.9 (103.6–364.8) | 217.6 (105.6–618.7) | 0.294 |
| Median left ventricular ejection fraction (IQR), % | 50 (41–60) | 54 (43–61) | 49 (40–56) | 0.019 |
| Median estimated GFR(IQR), ml/min/1.73 m2 | 63.0 (52.0–77.8) | 65.0 (56.0–75.5) | 61.0 (46.0–78.3) | 0.141 |
| Peak V̇O2 at 2 months | 14.6 ± 3.6 | 17.4 ± 2.7 | 11.8 ± 1.8 | < 0.001 |
| Peak V̇O2 at 5 months | 16.6 ± 4.7 | 19.0 ± 4.5 | 14.2 ± 3.7 | < 0.001 |
| Peak V̇O2 percentage of predicted value | 50.3 ± 12.5 | 57.5 ± 10.7 | 43.2 ± 9.8 | < 0.001 |
| NYHA class -N. (%) | 0.066 | |||
| I | 147 (67) | 80 (73) | 67 (61) | |
| II | 57 (26) | 24 (22) | 33 (30) | |
| III | 16 (7) | 6 (6) | 10 (9) | |
| Coexisting conditions, N (%) | ||||
| Hypertension | 152 (69) | 81 (74) | 71 (65) | 0.189 |
| Diabetes | 77 (35) | 39(36) | 38 (35) | 1.000 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 24 (11) | 7(6) | 17(16) | 0.050 |
| Prior thromboembolic events | 5 (2) | 2 (2) | 3 (3) | 1.000 |
| CHADS2 score (IQR) | 2 (2–3) | 2 (2–3) | 2 (2–3) | 0.756 |
| CHA2DS2–VASc (IQR) | 4 (3–4) | 4 (3–4) | 4 (3–5) | 0.942 |
| Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, N (%) | 117 (53) | 63 (57) | 54 (49) | 0.280 |
| Cause of heart failure, N (%) | 0.878 | |||
| Ischemic | 159 (72) | 79 (72) | 80 (73) | |
| Non-ischemic | ||||
| Idiopathic | 31 (14) | 17 (16) | 14 (13) | |
| Valvular | 30 (14) | 14 (6) | 16 (7) | |
| Medications, N (%) | ||||
| ACE inhibitor or ARB | 200 (91) | 100 (91) | 100 (91) | 1.000 |
| Beta-blocker | 177 (81) | 90 (82) | 87 (79) | 0.734 |
| Amiodarone | 11 (5) | 5 (5) | 6 (6) | 1.000 |
| Preexisting pacemaker or CRT, N (%) | 8 (4) | 5 (5) | 3 (3) | 0.486 |
IQR; interquartile range, GFR; glomerular filtration rate, NYHA; New York Heart Association, ACE; angiotensin-converting enzyme, ARB; angiotensin II receptor blocker, CRT; cardiac resynchronization therapy, BNP; brain natriuretic peptide, GFR; glomerular filtration rate.