Improvement in quality of life outcomes 2 weeks after left ventricular assist device implantation

Background: The successful use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) a s a bridge to heart transplantation has prompted our examination of quality of life (QOL) outcomes. The purposes of this study are to describe QOL in patients 1 to 2 weeks after LVAD implantation and to compare QOL in a small er cohort of patients from before to 1 to 2 weeks after surgery. Methods: Data were collected from a convenience sample of 81 patients who c ompleted booklets of questionnaires that measure domains of QOL 1 to 2 week s after LVAD insertion and from 30 of 81 patients who completed booklets at both the preimplantation and post-implantation periods. Patients completed booklets of 6 to 8 self-reporting instruments, with acceptable reliability and validity. Data were analyzed using descriptive and comparative statist ics (chi-square, Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed ranks tests) with p = 0 .01 considered statistically significant. Results: One to 2 weeks after LVAD implantation, patients were quite satisf ied with their lives, experienced moderately low amounts of stress, coped w ell, and perceived themselves as having good health and QOL, low symptom di stress, and moderately low functional disability. Patients reported signifi cantly better QOL, more satisfaction with health and functioning, and were significantly less distressed by symptoms from immediately pre-operatively to post-operatively. However, patients reported significantly more self-car e disability and more dissatisfaction with socioeconomic areas of life from before to immediately after surgery. Psychological distress was low and di d not change with time. Conclusion: Given that QOL improved from before to after LVAD implantation, our findings provide a springboard for investigation of the impact of LVAD s on long-term QOL outcomes.