Abstract 15898: Sustaining Quality of Life of the Aged: Transplant or Mechanical Support (SUSTAIN-IT): Baseline Caregiver Burden

• Published in: Circulation (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 138; no. Suppl_1 Suppl 1; p. A15898
• Main Authors: Okwuosa, Ike, Anderson, Allen S, Petty, Michael, Hubert, Adam, Pollan, Laura, Andrei, Adin-Cristian, Kao, Andrew, Pham, Duc, Yancy, Clyde, Dew, Mary Amanda, Kormos, Robert, Hirsch, Eileen, Cotts, William, LaRue, Shane, Pamboukian, Salpy, Pagani, Francis, Lampert, Brent, Johnson, Maryl, Murray, Margaret, Tekeda, Koji, Yuzefpolskaya, Melana, Spertus, John, Kirklin, James K, Collum, Stephen C, Grady, Kathleen L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: by the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association, Inc 06.11.2018
• ISSN: 0009-7322; 1524-4539

BackgroundCaregivers provide essential disease management support, as well as emotional and social support, for patients (pts) with advanced heart failure (HF). Caregiving can be burdensome and adversely affect the lives of caregivers, as it is associated with anxiety, depression, stress, worsening physical function, and social and financial challenges. We examined whether there is a difference in perceived burden for caregivers of three groups of advanced HF pts(1) those supported with mechanical circulatory support (MCS) as a bridge to heart transplant (HT BTT), (2) those awaiting transplant without MCS (HT non-BTT), and (3) those prior to MCS for destination therapy (DT MCS).MethodsBetween 10/1/15 and 5/8/18, we enrolled 237 caregivers for advanced HF pts from 12 U.S. sites67 post- MCS surgery HT BTT listed for HT, 84 listed for HT non-BTT, and 86 scheduled for DT MCS. At enrollment, caregivers completed the Oberst Caregiving Burden Scale, which has 15 items with 2 subscalestime (range=1-5; higher score=more time spent on task) and difficulty (range=1-5; higher score=higher difficulty of task). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and chi-square tests.ResultsIn each group, caregivers were predominantly Caucasian, female, spouses, well educated, and reported on average 2 co-morbid medical conditions. Caregivers in each group reported a small to moderate amount of time spent on tasks and mild difficulty performing caregiver tasks. Among the three groups, caregivers for HT non-BTT candidates reported significantly less time on tasks (p=0.018) and less difficulty of tasks (p=0.018).ConclusionCaregivers of pts with advanced HF spent a modest amount of time on tasks that were perceived as not being particularly difficult. Caregivers for advanced HF pts who were awaiting HT without MCS reported the least time and difficulty in performing caregiving tasks. Understanding caregiver burden may help guide caregiver support.