| Overall | Rate | Rhythm | |
| n = 61 | 31 | 30 | |
| Age, years | 72.4 (7.1) | 72.7 (8.3) | 72.0 (5.4) |
| Male (%) | 84 | 81 | 87 |
| AF duration, months (quartile range) | 14 (6 to 32) | 15 (8 to 34) | 14 (5 to 31) |
| BMI, kg/m2 (SD) | 29.5 (5.5) | 27.8 (5.3) | 31.4 (5.2) |
| Diabetes mellitus (%) | 24 | 17 | 30 |
| Hypertension (%) | 70 | 72 | 68 |
| Ischaemic heart disease (%) | 50 | 55 | 44 |
| Cerebrovascular disease (%) | 22 | 31 | 12 |
| Previous cardioversion (%) | 22 | 28 | 16 |
| Cigarette smoker (current/ex) (%) | 61 | 59 | 64 |
| NYHA class | |||
| II (%) | 80 | 77 | 83 |
| III (%) | 20 | 23 | 17 |
| NT-proBNP pg/ml (quartile range) | 1438 (939 to 2414) | 1835 (967 to 2546) | 1285 (913 to 1624) |
| Creatinine, μmol/l (SD) | 112 (30) | 119 (35) | 105 (21) |
| Haemoglobin, g/dl (SD) | 13.8 (1.4) | 13.5 (1.4) | 14.2 (1.4) |
| Thyroid-stimulating hormone, mIU/l (SD) | 2.0 (1.4) | 1.8 (1.1) | 2.2 (1.6) |
| Resting heart rate, bpm (SD) | 76 (14) | 74 (15) | 78 (14) |
| Exercise heart rate, bpm (SD) | 104 (26) | 100 (22) | 109 (29) |
| Mean blood pressure (rest), mm Hg (SD) | 99 (16) | 100 (15) | 98 (17) |
| Mean blood pressure (exercise), mm Hg (SD) | 108 (15) | 107 (14) | 108 (17) |
| Left ventricular dysfunction (%, at least moderate systolic impairment) | 57 | 58 | 56 |
| Left atrial diameter, cm (SD) | 4.7 (0.7) | 4.6 (0.7) | 4.8 (0.6) |
| 6MWT distance, m (quartile range) | 353 (307 to 391) | 346 (285 to 388) | 370 (310 to 402) |
| Therapy at initial assessment | |||
| ARB (%) | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| ACE-I (%) | 87 | 84 | 90 |
| Loop diuretic (%) | 90 | 94 | 87 |
| Aldosterone antagonist (%) | 16 | 16 | 17 |
| Beta-blocker (%) | 80 | 84 | 77 |
| Digoxin (%) | 61 | 65 | 57 |
| Statin (%) | 36 | 29 | 43 |
| Quality-of-life score | |||
| SF36 Version II (SD) | 38.9 (17.8) | 37.3 (15.7) | 40.7 (20.7) |
| MLWHF (SD) | 34.8 (20.4) | 36.7 (21.6) | 32.4 (19.0) |
Data are presented as mean (SD) or median (IQR) according to distribution.
ACE-I, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor; AF, atrial fibrillation; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; MLWHF, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure; NT-proBNP, N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide; NYHA, New York Heart Association; SF36 version II, Short Form 36 version II; SR, sinus rhythm; 6MWT, 6-minute corridor walk test.