Patient selection: systolic heart failure
Best predictors of poor prognosis:
(1) higher resting heart rate (>= 70 beats per minute)
(2) low left ventricular ejection fraction
(3) higher serum creatinine
(4) low body mass index (BMI)
(5) NYHA class III or IV
(6) duration of heart failure
(7) advancing age after 60 years
(8) low systolic blood pressure
(9) history of left bundle branch block
(10) male sex
(11) ischemic heart failure
(12) low serum total cholesterol (<= 3.4 mmol/L)
(13) history of atrial fibrillation/flutter
