Quality of life of patients supported with the portable left ventricular assist device

Abstract

A descriptive longitudinal design evaluated the quality of life of 11 subjects supported by the portable Novacor LVAS and well enough to be discharged from the hospital to a self-care setting. Quality of life was defined by scores on a modified Sickness Impact Profile (SIP). The SIP assessed physical and social functioning. Scores were evaluated at "readiness for discharge" and at subsequent intervals. Cumulative adverse event scores were related to SIP scores.· Quality of life improved during the 60 days after readiness for discharge. The improvement in quality of life was ·mostly due to lessened physical disability (p=0.005 at 30 days, p=0.017 at 60 days). Social interaction showed a tendency toward improvement but did not reach statistical significance. There was no significant correlation between the cumulative number of adverse events and SIP scores at any interval. Quality of life improved and was not related to the number of adverse events experienced by patients supported with the LVAS in this study.