Health Status, Anxiety and Depression in Heart Failure Patients after Heart Transplantation Versus Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Abstract

Purpose Indications for left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy have expanded in recent years, leading to a growing population of LVAD patients to manage in clinical practice. In order to provide optimal care for these patients, it is important to understand their specific medical and mental needs. We compared the health status and emotional distress of LVAD patients with heart transplant (HTx) recipients and examined the correlates of distress and poor health status. Methods and Materials Health status (Short Form Health Survey-12) and anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) were measured at baseline in 42 LVAD patients (HeartMate II (Thoratec) or HVAD (HeartWare); 77% men; 53±11 years) and 184 HTx recipients (74% men; 50±19 years). Results Analysis of variance showed a significant difference between LVAD and HTx patients on physical and mental health status (p .05). In adjusted analysis, LVAD patients scored worse on physical health (F=24.42, p Conclusions LVAD patients reported higher depression scores and poorer health status compared to HTx recipients at baseline. This suggests the need for active screening and monitoring LVAD patients for distress, and for providing additional care by a mental health professional when needed.