Quality of life outcomes in chinese patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators.

BACKGROUND

Patient-centered outcomes for Chinese implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) patients have not been previously studied. This study examined health-related quality of life (HRQL) and its relation with ICD shock-related anxiety, ICD shock, patient acceptance of the ICD, and demographic and clinical characteristics among a sample of Chinese ICD patients.

METHODS

Eighty-five ICD recipients completed the Chinese versions of the Short Form (SF-12) Health Survey, Florida Patient Acceptance Survey (FPAS), and Florida Shock Anxiety Scale (FSAS), and a demographic sheet during their follow-up visit.

RESULTS

The mean scores of physical component summary and mental component summary (MCS) of ICD patients (41.7 and 46.6, respectively) were lower than the Hong Kong Chinese normative data. As expected, MCS was negatively correlated with shock anxiety (r =-0.38, P < 0.01) and positively correlated with patient acceptance (r = 0.50, P < 0.01). Shock anxiety was negatively correlated with patient acceptance of the ICD (r =-0.58, P < 0.01). Age was positively associated with FPAS (r = 0.55, P = 0.014) while negatively related with FSAS (r =-0.28, P = 0.003). The experience of ICD shock (yes/no) was not associated with any differences but shock frequency groups (no shocks, 1-2 shocks, and ≥3) and gender were significantly different on shock anxiety but not on general mental functioning.

CONCLUSION

Higher ICD shock anxiety was associated with lower HRQL and lower ICD acceptance. Age, female, and clinical characteristics such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, and ICD shock experience can influence patient-centric outcomes of HRQL, FPAS, and FSAS. These results extend the evidence for increased clinical attention in Chinese patients to specific outcomes such as shock anxiety and its impact on HRQL.