Follow-up
The patients were followed up as outpatients in the heart failure unit.
The primary endpoint was heart failure progression defined as heart
failure hospitalisation, heart transplantation, and/or cardiovascular
death caused by heart failure worsening. The cause of death was verified
by means of hospital records or the testimony of relatives and defined
as being cardiovascular (death caused by heart failure worsening, acute
coronary syndrome, and sudden death) or non-cardiovascular. Sudden death
was defined as death within one hour after the onset of symptoms in a
previously medically stable patient, death during sleep, or unwitnessed
death.