THE IMPACT OF DEMOGRAPHIC, SURGICAL AND INTENSIVE CARE UNIT FACTORS ON LONG-TERM QUALITY OF LIFE IN CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE SURGICAL SURVIVORS

Quality of Life of Families with Children Presenting Congenital Heart Disease:Longitudinal Study Protocol

BACKGROUND: Advances in medicine have caused a notable increase in the survival rates of children born with congenital heart disease, even in the most complicated cases, almost mitigating the disease’s pathology from lethal to chronic. The quality of life perceived by such children is influenced by the perceptions of their parents. However, the international literature has rarely considered the entire family nucleus. AIMS: This study aims to study the temporal trend of quality of life of families with children with congenital heart disease, particularly with respect to parents following a child’s hospitalization for an invasive procedure. DESIGN: A longitudinal study. METHOD: A sample of families (that is, those including a child with congenital heart disease and their parents) will be enrolled following the patient’s discharge from the hospital and examined every 3 months for 1 year. The study’s adopted hypothesis is that there is an interdependence between the subjects of the study that is capable of influencing individual perceptions of quality of life. RESULTS: This study will attempt to identify variables (and their temporal trend) that can be attributed to the family unit and—together with physical and clinical variables—that may influence the quality of life of children with congenital heart disease. CONCLUSION: Examining family quality of life with the longitudinal method will allow us to identify the predictors and interdependence of this factor with respect to children and their parents. This will help to correct and elaborate upon care guidelines, providing better assistance to patients and their caregivers.

Emotional quality-of-life and patient-reported limitation in sports participation in children with uncorrected congenital and acquired heart disease in healthcare-restricted settings in low- and middle-income countries

BACKGROUND

Little is known about emotional quality-of-life in paediatric heart disease in low- and middle-income countries where the prevalence of uncorrected lesions is high. Research on emotional quality-of-life and its predictors in these settings is key to planning interventions.

METHODS

Ten-year retrospective cross-sectional study of children aged 6-17 years with uncorrected congenital or acquired heart disease in 12 low- and middle-income countries was conducted. Emotional functioning score of the PedsQL TM 4.0 generic core scale and data on patient-reported limitation in sports participation were collected via in-person interview and analysed using regression analyses.

RESULTS

Ninety-four children reported mean emotional functioning scores of 71.94 (SD 25.32) [95% CI 66.75-77.13] with lower scores independently associated with having a parent with a chronic illness or who had died (p = 0.005), having less than three siblings (p = 0.007), and reporting a subjective limitation in carrying an item equivalent to a 4 lb load (p = 0.021). Patient-reported limitation in sports participation at least "sometimes" was present in 69% and was independently associated with experiencing symptoms at least once a month (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Some of the factors which were associated with better emotional quality-of-life were similar to those identified in previous studies in patients with corrected defects. Patient-reported limitation in sports participation is common. In addition to corrective surgery and exercise, numerous other interventions which are practicable during surgical missions might improve emotional quality-of-life.

Biopsychosocial Predictors of Quality of Life Outcomes in Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease

The purpose of this prospective multi-center cross-sectional study was to identify key biopsychosocial factors that impact quality of life (QOL) of youth with congenital heart disease (CHD). Patient-parent pairs were recruited at a regular hospital follow-up visit. Patient- and parent-proxy-reported QOL were assessed using the Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory (PCQLI). Wallander's and Varni's disability-stress coping model guided factor selection, which included disease factors, educational impairment, psychosocial stress, child psychological and parent/family factors. Measures utilized for these factors included the Pediatric Inventory for Parents, Self-Perception Profile for Children/Adolescents, Child Behavior Checklist, Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, Child PTSD Symptom Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale. Ordinary least squares regression was applied to test the theoretical model, with backwards stepwise elimination process. The models accounted for a substantial amount of variance in QOL (Patient-reported PCQLI R ² = 0.58, p < 0.001; Parent-proxy-reported PCQLI R ² = 0.60, p < 0.001). For patient-reported QOL, disease factors, educational impairment, poor self-esteem, anxiety, patient posttraumatic stress, and parent posttraumatic stress were associated with lower QOL. For parent-proxy-report QOL, disease factors, educational impairment, greater parental medical stress, poorer child self-esteem, more child internalizing problems, and parent posttraumatic stress were associated with lower QOL. The results highlight that biopsychosocial factors account for over half the variance in QOL in CHD survivors. Assessing and treating psychological issues in the child and the parent may have a significant positive impact on QOL.