Baseline clinical characteristics of the patients
| Clinical characteristics | AAIR pacing (n=707) | DDDR pacing (n=708) | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female gender, n (%) | 472 (66.8) | 441 (62.3) | 0.08 |
| Age, years (mean±SD) | 73.5±11.2 | 72.4±11.4 | 0.05 |
| History of atrial fibrillation, n (%) | 303 (42.9) | 318 (44.9) | 0.44 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 241 (34.1) | 239 (33.8) | 0.90 |
| Previous myocardial infarction, n (%) | 94 (13.3) | 90 (12.7) | 0.74 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 68 (9.6) | 72 (10.2) | 0.73 |
| Previous TIA, n (%) | 35 (5.0) | 37 (5.2) | 0.81 |
| Previous stroke, n (%) | 61 (8.6) | 53 (7.5) | 0.81 |
| Peripheral artery embolism, n (%) | 11 (1.6) | 16 (2.3) | 0.33 |
| LVEF reduced (<50%), n (%) | 59 (10.6) | 54 (9.5) | 0.55 |
| Medication at randomisation, n (%) | |||
| Oral anticoagulation | 108 (15.3) | 89 (12.6) | 0.14 |
| Aspirin | 369 (52.2) | 361 (51.1) | 0.67 |
| β-Blocker other than sotalol | 159 (22.5) | 132 (18.7) | 0.08 |
| Calcium-channel blocker | 137 (19.4) | 142 (20.1) | 0.75 |
| Digoxin | 73 (10.3) | 62 (8.8) | 0.32 |
| Class I–III antiarrhythmics | 80 (11.3) | 82 (11.6) | 0.88 |
| Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors | 160 (22.6) | 170 (24.0) | 0.53 |
| Diuretics | 304 (43.0) | 263 (37.2) | 0.03 |
| NYHA functional class, n (%) | – | – | 0.33 |
| I | 503 (71.4) | 522 (73.9) | |
| II | 172 (24.4) | 158 (22.4) | |
| III–IV | 29 (4.1) | 26 (3.7) | |
The data were not complete for LVEF reduced (n=1127), NYHA functional class (n=1410).
LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; NYHA, New York Heart Association; TIA, transient ischaemic attack.