A comparison of quality of life and psychological distress in heart transplantation patients at adult and pediatric ages

Psychological assessment of patients on the heart transplant waiting list: A single center experience

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the data of the psychological assessment, focusing attention on the quality of life and the psychological status of patients who are listed for heart transplant.

METHODS

All heart failure patients listed for heart transplant at the Cardiac Surgery Unit of Bari University, Italy, were evaluated from September to November 2023, by administering the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) and the Short Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36).

RESULTS

Overall, 27 patients were studied. Mean age was 60 years, 88% were males. One third of the patients showed a clinically significant overall mental distress. The symptoms leading to domains such as somatization (55.55%), anxiety (40.74%) and depression (33.33%) were frequently observed. The majority of the population studied (96.30%) showed low levels of perceived physical health status, while 59,62% of them presented levels of perceived physical health status below normal ranges.

CONCLUSIONS

Heart transplant candidates show elements of overall mental distress and low quality of life related to physical health status.

Quality of life and patient satisfaction with outpatient care after heart transplantation in adult and pediatric patients - room for improvement?

Reduced adherence after heart transplantation increases the risk for acute rejection. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the patient's satisfaction with outpatient care and quality of life (QOL) after pediatric and adult heart transplantation. Observational study after pediatric (n = 22) and adult (n = 65) heart transplantation and the parents of the pediatric patients (n = 22) to evaluate the patients' satisfaction with outpatient care and QOL. Established standardized questionnaires were used for patient satisfaction (ZAP survey) and QOL (SF36); the latter was compared with the cohort of the BGS98 survey (BGS98 cohort). ZAP score: excellent results with almost all values >80. QOL: pediatric cohort showed significantly higher values in physical functioning (P = 0.041) and role physical (P = 0.003) but significantly lower values in the sub-scale general health (P = 0.02) compared to adult cohort. In comparison with BGS98 cohort, children showed almost similar results, whereas adult cohort showed worse values in physical and emotional functioning, but higher values regarding general health. The QOL of patients after pediatric heart transplantation is comparable to a standardized reference population in Germany, whereas adult patients show reduced physical and emotional functioning, but better values regarding general health. The patients' satisfaction with the outpatient care is very high.

Adjustment to a New Heart: Concept Analysis Using a Hybrid Model

Background

Although the phenomenon of adjustment to a new heart in transplant recipients is very complex, very few studies have been conducted on this important issue. Therefore, no careful and clear definition exists for this concept.

Materials and Methods

This concept analysis was conducted in Iran in 2018 on 13 patients undergoing heart transplantation. In the theoretical phase, a conceptual framework was created according to the existing data in the literature about the phenomenon. In this study, 13 participants were selected using purposive sampling with maximum diversity.-Ž In the fieldwork phase, 20 deep and semistructured interviews were conducted with patients undergoing heart transplantation over 4 months. After data saturation, interviews were analyzed using the qualitative content analysis method proposed by Granheim and Lundman (2009). At the final analytical phase, the results of the two previous phases were integrated using a hybrid model.

Results

Adjustment to a new heart is a unique multiphase process in patients undergoing heart transplantation. The antecedents include the transplantation time, physical conditions, social and family support, relationship with congeners, and spiritual beliefs. The desirable consequences of adjustment to a new heart may include a new life, inner peace, and spiritual excellence, and the undesirable consequences may include psychological abuse and emotional stagnation.

Conclusions

According to the results, the health-care team should consider the patient as a unique client and initiate discussions before and following heart transplantation that address patients' adjustment to a new heart in all their physical, sexual, and emotional aspects.