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DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1598926
Assessment of Quality of Life in Terms of Spending Holidays on Patients with Destination Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Devices
Publikationsverlauf
Publikationsdatum:
03. Februar 2017 (online)
Objectives: Improving quality of life has become an important goal in LVAD therapy, especially in destination therapy patients. Going on holiday is a main factor in re-establishing quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the attitude toward spending holidays in patients provided with a continuous flow left ventricular assist device.
Methods: Destination therapy patients who underwent continuous flow LVAD implantation (HeartWare HVAD or BerlinHeart Incor) between January 2010 and December 2015 and who were followed up in our outpatient care unit were provided with a standardized questionnaire regarding their holidays (destination, duration, reason of denial). The data were prospectively collected, anonymized and analyzed for the purpose of this study.
Results: Out of 89 ambulatory LVAD patients during the survey period, 29 completed the questionnaire (response rate 33%). 41% of them have gone on holidays after successful LVAD implantation. Most of the holidays were spent within Germany (60%), 50% of the patients spending holidays quoted their holiday destination abroad including Austria, Croatia, Turkey, Thailand, and Dubai. 3 of them declared medical problems including collapse with cerebral hemorrhage, aggravation of a driveline infection due to tropic climate, and admission to a LVAD site abroad due to VAD alarms on the basis of dehydration. 48% of all surveyed LVAD patients had plans for future holidays. Reasons of not spending holidays included personal factors (money, job) and fear of medical issues or support during travelling.
Conclusion: A substantial proportion of LVAD patients has spent holidays or has plans to do so, some of them even abroad. Analyzing the reasons of patients not going on holidays accentuates the need for improved patients´ consulting with regard to medical support during travelling and especially discussing cooperating LVAD sites abroad.