Long-term quality of life and uncertainty in patients living with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator

Quality of life predicts one-year survival in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators

“…The scores on the QLI-CV at baseline ranged from 5.7 to 30 (mean = 22.01, SD = 4.84; see Table 2). The baseline QLI-CV score in the AVID ICD recipients was similar to those obtained in a longitudinal study on patients with HF who had life-threatening arrhythmias and received ICDs (mean = 22.19, SD = 2.96) [40] and a descriptive correlation study on patients with life-threatening arrhythmias undergoing ICD therapy (mean = 24.89, SD = 3.9) [41].…”

“…In this study, during the first year after ICD implantation, 24.5% of patients with ICD experienced 1-4 shocks, 19.1% experienced more than five shocks, and 56.4% did not experience any shock. The percentage of patients with ICD (44%) experiencing shock was higher than in three studies (26, 39, 27%, respectively) [40,45,47] and lower than in one prospective longitudinal study [49], in which 57% of patients with ICD experienced shocks during the first year after ICD implantation. The percentage of patients with ICD who had shocks may be due to differences in the percentage of patients with AF.…”

Patient Perceptions, Physician Communication, and the Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator

“…Previous investigations have identified problems with patient anxiety, 40 sexual function, 41 family dynamics, 42 coping and adjustment, [42][43][44][45] satisfaction within psychological-spiritual domains, 46 and knowledge base. 47,48 These observations should have relevance to the selection of patients for ICD placement and management; nevertheless, results of studies 13,49 indi- The ICD is a safety mechanism for preventing you from being taken away. The ICD will save your life and prevent sudden death.…”

Uncertainty is a major concern for patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators

“…[8][9][10][11] Worry may arise regarding health and the technical function of the ICD, the prognosis of the underlying heart disease, the welfare of the family, and how to cope with the future. 1,11,12 In addition, ICD recipients need to assimilate a large amount of new information about the medical condition, pharmacologic treatment, risk of having a new or recurrent ventricular arrhythmia, technical aspects of the device, and details regarding the implantation procedure and follow-up routines. 6,9,13 The device itself is a constant reminder that something dangerous or unpleasant could occur at any time.…”