Key result
Post-valve implantation links to poorer physical HRQoL and more informal care use versus the general population.
Why the study?
Does surgical or transcatheter aortic/pulmonary valve implantation result in comparable health-related quality of life, informal care use, and productivity compared to the general population?
Cross-Sectional (n=944)
Yes
Does surgical or transcatheter aortic/pulmonary valve implantation result in comparable health-related quality of life, informal care use, and productivity compared to the general population?
Patients who have undergone aortic or pulmonary valve implantations experience relatively mild limitations in daily life compared to the general population, highlighting the importance of setting realistic patient expectations.
Patients post-valve implantation show mild physical HRQoL deficits with preserved mental health; leaves open whether targeted support reduces informal care needs in routine practice.
OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to provide estimates of patient-reported health-related quality of life (HRQoL), use of informal care and productivity in patients after surgical aortic and pulmonary valve replacement and transcatheter aortic valve implantation. METHODS: Consecutive cohorts of 1239 adult patients who had surgical aortic valve replacement or surgical pulmonary valve replacement and 433 patients who had transcatheter aortic valve implantation at 2 Dutch heart centres were cross-sectionally surveyed at a median time of 2.9 and 3.2 years after the intervention, respectively. The survey included questions on HRQoL (EQ-5D-5L and SF-12-v2), use of informal care and productivity in paid and unpaid work. All outcomes were compared with age and sex-matched individuals from the general population. RESULTS: The response rate was 56% (n = 687) of patients who had surgical valve replacement and 59% (n = 257) of those who had transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Compared with the general population, patients reported poorer HRQoL on physical health domains, whereas their scores were comparable for mental health domains. After a heart valve implantation, patients reported using informal care more frequently than the general population, but labour participation was comparable. Patients with late complications [antibiotic treatment for endocarditis (n = 4), stroke (n = 11), transient ischaemic attack (n = 15)] reported lower HRQoL, greater use of informal care and greater productivity loss than patients without complications. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who had aortic and pulmonary valve implantations experience relatively mild limitations in daily life compared to the general population. The consequences of a heart valve implantations beyond clinical outcomes should be considered to create realistic patient expectations of life after a heart valve implantation and unbiased resource allocation decisions at national levels.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Huygens et al. (2018) conducted a cross-sectional in Aortic and pulmonary valve implantation (n=944). Heart valve implantation (surgical or transcatheter) vs. Age and sex-matched general population was evaluated on Health-related quality of life, use of informal care, and productivity. Compared to the general population, patients ~3 years post-valve implantation reported poorer physical health-related quality of life and greater use of informal care, but comparable mental health.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: