Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Subjects | Value |
| Age years | 409 | 70.1 (69–71.2) |
| BMI kg·m−2 | 401 | 24.6 (23.9–25.2) |
| Current smoker | 409 | 126 (31) |
| FEV1 L | 404 | 0.79 (0.76–0.83) |
| FEV1 % pred | 404 | 34.7 (33.3–36.2) |
| Acidaemia# | 364 | 56 (15) |
| PaCO2 mmHg | 315 | 47.9 (46.3–49.7) |
| PaO2 mmHg | 312 | 63.8 (61.5–66.2) |
| History of cardiac disease | 409 | 152 (37) |
| History of malignancy | 409 | 42 (10) |
| Cardiac medication on admission | ||
| β-blocker | 409 | 45 (11) |
| Calcium-channel blocker | 409 | 97 (24) |
| Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker | 409 | 158 (39) |
| Diuretic | 409 | 152 (37) |
| Antiplatelet | 409 | 159 (39) |
| Anticoagulation | 409 | 28 (7) |
| Statin | 409 | 116 (28) |
| Cardiac biomarker levels at presentation | ||
| NT-proBNP pmol·L−1 | 405 | 62.5 (53.7–72.7) |
| Troponin T | ||
| Cohort 1 µg·L−1 | 239 | 0.015 (0.014–0.017) |
| Cohort 2 ng·L−1 | 162 | 18.3 (16.2–20.7) |
| Mortality | ||
| In-hospital | 401 | 17 (4) |
| 30-day | 401 | 29 (7) |
| 1-year | 401 | 82 (20) |
| 2-year | 401 | 133 (33) |
| 5-year | 401 | 245 (61) |
Data are presented as geometric mean (95% CI) or n (%). Mortality data excluded eight patients who did not have both cardiac biomarkers measured on admission. BMI: body mass index; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; NT-proBNP: N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide; PaCO2: arterial carbon dioxide tension; PaO2: arterial oxygen tension. #: blood pH <7.3.