An Evaluation of the quality of life and emotional status of patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators at the Vilnius University Hospital, Lithuania

ENBackground and objective: An arrhythmia is a disorder of the heart rate or rhythm. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a small electronic device connected to the heart to continuously keep track of and help control rapid and sometimes life-threatening electrical problems with the heart. However, it may result in psychological tension in patients' lives, eventually affecting their quality of life (QoL). In light of this, we aimed to assess the QoL of patients with ICD at the Vilnius University Hospital, Lithuania. Methods: We employed the following three questionnaires in this study: an originally prepared questionnaire including sociodemographic and health factors; the 36-item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36); and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to assess depression and anxiety. Data analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics v. 13.00 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results: Of the patients evaluated in all areas of QoL, males demonstrated higher scores compared to females. A statistically significant difference was found when assessing the domains of physical activity, social function, pain, and physical and mental health QoL. Conclusions: Based on our findings, the majority of ICD patients can achieve their desired QoL and psychosocial outcomes. Our results show that patients with ICDs have the potential to return to a normal life. Depression and anxiety manifested more commonly in respondents with a disease duration of up to five years. Keywords: sf-36, depression, qol, icd, heart rhythm disorders.