Health-related quality of life in left ventricular assist device-supported patients

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the different health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) aspects in patients with both short-term and long-term duration LVAD support at pre-specified time intervals. Methods and results: We performed a single-centre HR-QoL analysis of short-term and long-term LVAD-supported patients using the short version of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ-12) and the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire along with a survey to evaluate patients' social and driving routines. Data were collected at baseline and at 6 or 12 month follow-up. Included were 46 patients with a median time from LVAD implantation of 1.1 [inter-quartile range (IQR) 0.5, 2.6] years. The median KCCQ-12 summary score was 56 (IQR 29, 74) with most favourable scores in the symptom frequency domain [75 (IQR 50, 92)] and worse scores in the physical limitation [42 (IQR 25, 75)] and QoL [44 (IQR 25, 75)] domains. No significant changes were apparent during study follow-up [KCCQ-12 summary score 56 (IQR 35, 80)], and no significant correlation between the KCCQ-12 summary score and ventricular assist device-support duration was detected (r = −0.036, P = 0.812). Sexual dysfunction was noted across all domains with a cumulative score of 31 (IQR 22, 42). Seventy-six per cent of patients resumed driving after LVAD implantation, and 43% of patients reported they socialize with family and friends more frequently since surgery. Conclusions: Short-term and long-term LVAD-supported patients had impaired HR-QoL and sexual function at baseline and at follow-up yet reported an improvement in social interactions and independency. A broader spectrum of patient's reported HR-QoL measures should be integrated into the pre-LVAD implantation assessment and preparation.