Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-20-2021
Abstract
Background
Heart failure (HF) imposes significant burden on patients and caregivers. Longitudinal data on caregiver health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) and burden in ambulatory advanced HF are limited.
Methods and Results
Ambulatory patients with advanced HF (n=400) and their participating caregivers (n=95) enrolled in REVIVAL (Registry Evaluation of Vital Information for VADs [Ventricular Assist Devices] in Ambulatory Life) were followed up for 24 months, or until patient death, left ventricular assist device implantation, heart transplantation, or loss to follow‐up. Caregiver HRQOL (EuroQol Visual Analog Scale) and burden (Oberst Caregiving Burden Scale) did not change significantly from baseline to follow‐up. At time of caregiver enrollment, better patient HRQOL by Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire was associated with better caregiver HRQOL (P=0.007) and less burden by both time spent (PP=0.0007) of caregiving tasks. On longitudinal analyses adjusted for baseline values, better patient HRQOL (P=0.034) and being a married caregiver (P=0.016) were independently associated with better caregiver HRQOL. Patients with participating caregivers (versus without) were more likely to prefer left ventricular assist device therapy over time (odds ratio, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.03–1.99; P=0.034). Among patients with participating caregivers, those with nonmarried (versus married) caregivers were at higher composite risk of HF hospitalization, death, heart transplantation or left ventricular assist device implantation (hazard ratio, 2.99; 95% CI, 1.29–6.96; P=0.011).
Conclusions
Patient and caregiver characteristics may impact their HRQOL and other health outcomes over time. Understanding the patient‐caregiver relationship may better inform medical decision making and outcomes in ambulatory advanced HF.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Gilotra, Nisha A.; Pamboukian, Salpy V.; Mountis, Maria; Robinson, Shawn W.; Kittleson, Michelle; Shah, Keyur B.; Forde-McLean, Rhondalyn C.; Haas, Donald C.; Horstmanshof, Douglas A.; Jorde, Ulrich P.; Russell, Stuart D.; Taddei-Peters, Wendy C.; Jeffries, Neal; Khalatbari, Shokoufeh; Spino, Catherine A.; Richards, Blair; Yosef, Matheos; Mann, Douglas L.; Stewart, Garrick C.; Aaronson, Keith D.; and Grady, Kathleen L., "Caregiver Health-Related Quality of Life, Burden, and Patient Outcomes in Ambulatory Advanced Heart Failure: A Report From REVIVAL." (2021). Abington Jefferson Health Papers. Paper 64.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/abingtonfp/64
PubMed ID
34250813
Language
English
Comments
This article is the authors’ final published version in Journal of the American Heart Association, Volume 10, Issue 14, July 2021, Article number e019901.
The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.120.019901. Copyright © Gilotra et al.