Research Article

Echo- and B-Type Natriuretic Peptide-Guided Follow-Up versus Symptom-Guided Follow-Up: Comparison of the Outcome in Ambulatory Heart Failure Patients

Table 1

Demographic, clinical, and echocardiographic baseline characteristics of the study groups.

VariableGroup I ()Group II ()Group III () value

Age (years)67 ± 1268 ± 11++70 ± 10‡‡<0.0001
Follow-up (months)35 (12–66)36 (19–65)39 (20–55)0.057
Male (%)7880800.72
Heart rate (beats/min)75 ± 1476 ± 1575 ± 150.22
Ischemic CM (%)505962‡‡0.024
eGFR <60 ml/m2 (%)3340360.27
DM (%)302422‡0.13
History of hypertension4649450.59
Atrial fibrillation (%)1916190.54
NYHA class > II (%)2427310.18
Systolic BP (mmHg)123 ± 18133 ± 20++124 ± 17‡‡<0.0001
Diastolic BP (mmHg)74 ± 1076 ± 15++73 ± 9‡‡<0.0001
LV EDVi (ml/m2)100 ± 3386 ± 33++109 ± 32‡‡<0.0001
LV ESVi (ml/m2)68 ± 2959 ± 31++75 ± 29‡‡<0.0001
LVEF (%)33 ± 834 ± 933 ± 8‡0.070
Mitral regurgitation† (%)2829370.039
EDT (msec)179 ± 58212 ± 62159 ± 53‡‡<0.0001
Loop diuretics (%)8282860.27
Beta-blockers (%)6979++660.016
ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor inhibitors (%)8986++76‡‡0.003
Mineralocorticoid receptor inhibitors (%)6258510.29
CRT (%)9880.90
ICD (%)1711120.071

CM: cardiomyopathy; eGFR: estimated glomerular filtration rate; DM: diabetes; NYHA: New York Heart Association; BP: blood pressure; LV: left ventricular; EDVi: end-diastolic volume index; ESVi: end-systolic volume index; LVEF: left ventricular ejection fraction; EDT: E-wave deceleration time; CRT: cardiac resynchronization therapy; ICD: implantable cardioverter defibrillator.: ,: echo- and BNP-guided group versus symptom-guided group; +: , ++: symptom-guided group versus no follow-up; ‡: , ‡‡: echo- and BNP-guided group versus no follow-up.