Background: Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) are the most common mechanical circulatory support for patients with advanced heart failure, and can be used either as a temporary or permanent therapy. Normally, LVAD carriers show psychological distress related to the difficulties in adapting to their new clinical condition.
Methods: This retrospective study aimed to analyze the quality of life of 21 patients after LVAD implantation and follow-up in a dedicated psychology outpatient clinic. The Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) was used to assess the quality of life, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to measure anxiety and depression levels. These constructs were examined according to the time of implant and their age, with correlational analyses.
Results: Outcomes seem to affect the quality of life of our population when compared with regulatory data, in terms of both physical health and mental health. Patient age was inversely related to the mental health index (Pearson's correlation coefficient -0.48, p<0.05) and two subscales, i.e. "vitality" (Pearson's correlation coefficient -0.60, p<0.05) and "mental health" (Pearson's correlation coefficient -0.44, p<0.05). The most critical areas included physical pain and social limitations. The overall incidence of anxiety and depression was within normal limits according to the HADS test: LVAD patients supported for less than 1 year showed a lower incidence of anxiety compared with LVAD carriers supported for more than 1 year, while the incidence of depression was higher compared with LVAD carriers supported for more than 1 year.
Conclusions: LVAD negatively impact physical and mental health, 'especially in older people; the scores obtained at SF-36, both for the physical health index and the mental health index, show lower average values than the regulatory standard. In addition, the depression levels vary based on the time elapsed from the date of implantation confirming the need for continuous monitoring of patients during treatment to prevent an increase of this index over the years. This patient subset requires continuing support and careful psychological monitoring, from preliminary assessment to LVAD implant, and later over the entire therapeutic process.