Comparison of Quality of Life Between Patients with Advanced Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Recipients

• Published in: Revista brasileira de cirurgia cardiovascular Vol. 36; no. 5; pp. 623 - 628
• Main Authors: Carvalho, Wágner do Nascimento, Maria, Gustavo dos Santos Alves, Gonçalves, Karla Cordeiro, Miranda, Anna Letícia, Moreira, Maria da Consolação Vieira
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: Sao Paulo Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Cardiovascular 01.01.2021
• Subjects: CARDIAC & CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS; Cardiology; Cardiomyopathies; Cardiomyopathy; Data collection; Health-Related Quality of Life; Heart Failure; Heart surgery; Heart Transplantation; Heart transplants; Interviews; Medical prognosis; Medical research; Original; Outpatient care facilities; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Self image; SURGERY; Surveys and Questionnaires; Wages & salaries; United States > US; Heart Failure; Quality of Life; Heart Transplantation; Cardiomyopathies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Health-Related Quality of Life
• ISSN: 1678-9741; 0102-7638; 1678-9741
• DOI: 10.21470/1678-9741-2020-0402

Introduction: Heart transplantation is the treatment indicated for patients with advanced and refractory heart failure (HF). The transplant is expected to increase survival and improve the level of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study was to compare the level of HRQoL, as well as social and clinical variables, between patients with advanced HF and heart transplant (HT) recipients. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, conducted at a Brazilian university hospital, during outpatient consultations. The level of HRQoL was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data, and the comparison of the level of HRQoL was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Two hundred sixty-two patients participated in the study. Seventy-nine of them had advanced-stage HF and 183 were HT recipients. Compared to patients with advanced HF, HT recipients had a better level of HRQoL, were less frequently absent from work due to health problems, had higher income, used a higher number of medications, and there was a higher percentage of retirees among them (P-value < 0.001). Conclusion: In every comparison, HT recipients showed a better level of HRQoL than patients with advanced HF, along with less absence from work and higher income. These results suggest that heart transplantation can improve HRQoL and survival of patients with advanced HF.