Table 1 Summary of the included studies

First author and publication date	Follow-up	n	Patients	End points	Major exclusion criteria	ESP	Target Hb or Ht	Study design	Study quality
Parissis, 200817	3 Months	32	NYHA II–III LVEF <40% Hb <12.5 g/dl	Exercise capacityEchocardiographicLV and RV evaluation	sCr >2.5 mg/dl	Darbepoetin alfa	14.0 g/dl	Randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled, single-centre study	Fair

Ghali,20084	1 Year	319	NYHA II–IV LVEF <40% Hb <12.5 g/dl	Change in exercise time NYHA class, mortality HF hospitalisation	sCr >3.0 mg/dl	Darbepoetin alfa	14.0 g/dl	Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study	Fair

Van Veldhuisen, 20075	26 Weeks	165	Symptomatic HF LVEF <40% Hb 9.0–12.5 g/dl	Hb rise, 6-min walk distance, safety	sCr >3.0 mg/dl	Darbepoetin alfa	14.0 g/dl	Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study	Fair

Ponikowski,200718	26 Weeks	41	Symptomatic CHF LVEF <40% Hb 9–12 g/dl	Exercise tolerance and duration, NYHA, BNP, hospitalisation	Blood transfusion or ESP within 12 weeks sCr >3.0 mg/dl	Darbepoetin alfa	Hb 13.0–15.0 g/dl	Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study	Fair



Mancini, 200316	3 Months	23	NYHA III/IV Ht <35%,	Exercise performance	Non-ambulatory patients, continuous inotropic agents, iron deficiency anaemia sCr >2.5 mg/dl	Erythropoietin alfa	Ht >45%	Randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled, single-centre study	Fair

Palazzuoli,20066	3 Months	38	NYHA III/IV Hb <11 g/dl	NYHA class, exercise capacity, renal function, O₂ use, BNP	Secondary causes ofanaemia, isolated diastolic HF, <12 weeks MI sCr >5.0 mg/dl	Erythropoietin beta	Hb 11.5–12.0 g/dl	Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-centre study	Fair

Silverberg, 20017	8.2 Months	32	LVEF <40% Hb 10–11.5 g/dl	Days of hospitalisation	Secondary causesof anaemia	Erythropoietin	12.5 g/dl	Randomised, open-label, single-centre study	Fair

BNP, B-type natriuretic protein; CHF, chronic heart failure; ESP, erythropoietin-stimulating protein; ESP, erythropoietin-stimulating protein; ; Ht, haematocrit; LV, left ventricular; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; MI, myocardial infarction; NYHA, New York Heart Association; RV, right ventricular; sCr, serum creatinine.