Clinical InvestigationOutcomes, Health Policy, and Managed CarePredictors of improved quality of life 1 year after pacemaker implantation
Section snippets
Patients
The FOLLOWPACE study was conducted in 24 PM implanting centers in the Netherlands. The design and aims of this study have been published previously.9 FOLLOWPACE is a prospective, observational, prognostic cohort study with the following objectives: First, quantification of inhospital events during and after first PM implantation and events in the follow-up period. Second, the determination of HRQoL before the first PM implantation and during follow-up. Third, to assess which patient information
Results
The mean age of the study population was 73 years, and 58% were males (Table I). Cardiac comorbidity was present in most of the patients.
The mean difference in HRQoL according to the different questionnaires are depicted in Table II. All questionnaire subscales showed a significant improvement except for the SF-36 subscale “General Health.” The SF-36 subscales “Role limitation due to Physical functioning” and “Change in Health” and the Aquarel subscale “Arrhythmias” showed a moderate (≥0.50) to
Discussion
Health-related quality of life increased significantly in most of the patients in the first year after first PM implantation. Almost 70% consider their quality of life completely recovered or much better than before implantation. The most marked differences were seen in the SF-36 subscales “Role limitation due to Physical functioning” and “Change in Health” and the AQUAREL subscale “Arrhythmias.” Remarkably, the patients' “General Health” does not appear to be different between pre- and
Conclusion
In most patients receiving a PM, HRQoL increased in the first year after PM implantation. Almost 70% of patients consider their HRQoL much better or even completely recovered. The most important predictors of HRQoL after 1 year are the HRQoL at baseline, patients' age, cardiac comorbidities at baseline, and atrial fibrillation as the indication for PM implantation. These predictors may aid physicians to discern between patients who will most likely benefit from PM implantation and those in whom
References (34)
- et al.
Health values before and after pacemaker implantation
Am Heart J
(2002) - et al.
Effect of pacing mode on health-related quality of life in the Canadian Trial of Physiologic Pacing
Am Heart J
(2003) - et al.
Comparing the EQ-5D and the SF-6D descriptive systems to assess their ceiling effects in the US general population
Value Health
(2006) EuroQol: the current state of play
Health Policy
(1996)- et al.
Psychometric properties of Aquarel: a disease-specific quality of life questionnaire for pacemaker patients
J Clin Epidemiol
(2001) - et al.
Death in patients with permanent pacemakers for sick sinus syndrome
Am Heart J
(2003) - et al.
Rhythm or rate control in atrial fibrillation—pharmacological intervention in atrial fibrillation (PIAF): a randomized trial
Lancet
(2000) - et al.
The clinical significance of quality of life results: practical considerations for specific audiences
Mayo Clin Proc
(2002) - et al.
Review: a gentle introduction to imputation of missing values
J Clin Epidemiol
(2006) - et al.
Dual-chamber versus ventricular pacing critical appraisal of current data
Circulation
Pacemaker implantation and quality of life in the Mode Selection Trial
Heart Rhythm
Canadian trial of physiologic pacing: effects of physiological pacing during long-term follow-up
Circulation
Quality of life and clinical outcomes in elderly patients treated with ventricular pacing as compared with dual-chamber pacing
N Engl J Med
Linking clinical relevance and statistical significance in evaluating intra-individual changes in health-related quality of life
Med Care
FOLLOWPACE study: a prospective study on the cost-effectiveness of routine follow-up visits in patients with a pacemaker
Europace
Incidence and predictors of in-hospital events after first implantation of pacemakers
Europace
Cited by (19)
Social support to elderly pacemaker patients improves device acceptance and quality of life
2016, European Geriatric MedicineCitation Excerpt :Being implanted with a pacemaker (PM) can greatly improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and for some people, it can be lifesaving, especially in third degree atriaventricular block condition, because patients suffering from this type of disorder could require continuous pacing because there is no conduction between the atriaventricular nodes. The importance of HRQoL as an outcome in clinical management and in research trials has been increasingly recognized in the field of cardiology including patients before and after PM implantation [1–6]. HRQoL is influenced by physical wellbeing but also by mental state, social and emotional functioning, culturally determined values, social support (SS) and effects or complications of disease or its treatment.
Incidence and predictors of short- and long-term complications in pacemaker therapy: The FOLLOWPACE study
2012, Heart RhythmCitation Excerpt :The FOLLOWPACE study is a prospective multicenter cohort study conducted in 23 PM centers in the Netherlands. The design of the FOLLOWPACE study has been published previously.7–11 In brief, consecutive patients aged 18 years or older who received a first PM for a conventional reason for chronic pacing12 were eligible.
Arrhythmia Perception and Quality of Life in Bradyarrhythmia Patients Following Permanent Pacemaker Implantation
2021, Clinical Nursing ResearchHealth-related quality of life in elderly patients with pacemakers
2021, Brazilian Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery
The FOLLOWPACE study is granted by the Dutch College of Health Care and Health Insurances (Diemen, The Netherlands) (CVZ/VAZ grant number 01236); the Netherlands Pacemaker Registry Foundation (Groningen, The Netherlands); the Jacques H. de Jong foundation (Nieuwegein, The Netherlands), the Rodger Crowson foundation for Cardiac Arrhythmias Studies (Odijk, The Netherlands), and all Dutch pacemaker distributors and manufacturers.