Patient Demographic and Clinical Characteristics
| Characteristic | n |
| Sex | |
| Male | 31 |
| Female | 3 |
| Race* | |
| African American | 15 |
| Caucasian | 19 |
| Age (y) | 62 ± 10 |
| New York Health Association class | |
| 2 | 19 (56%) |
| 3 | 15 (44%) |
| History of smoking | 28 (82%) |
| Diabetic | 23 (68%) |
| History of angina | 14 (41%) |
| History of atrial fibrillation | 7 (21%) |
| History of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 5 (15%) |
| History of hypercholesterolemia | 29 (85%) |
| History of hypertension | 28 (82%) |
| History of inducible ventricular tachycardia | 3 (9%) |
| History of valvular disease | 4 (12%) |
| Prior myocardial infarction | 27 (79%) |
| Body mass index | 29.8 ± 6.6 |
| Baseline ejection fraction (%) | 27 ± 9 |
| Baseline cardiac output | 3.30 ± 0.96 |
| Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors | 27 (79%) |
| Angiotension II receptor blocker | 5 (15%) |
| β-blockers | 32 (94%) |
| Calcium channel blocker | 2 (6%) |
| Vasodilator | 7 (21%) |
| Baseline systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 118 ± 19 |
| Baseline diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 70 ± 11 |
| Baseline heart rate (bpm) | 68 ± 12 |
↵* Effects of mental stress might differ between races because of endocrine system differences.
Categoric data are expressed as numbers, followed by percentages in parentheses; continuous data are expressed as mean ± SE.