Shock Anxiety among Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Recipients with Recent Tachyarrhythmia

Age, Sex, and Remote Monitoring Differences in Device Acceptance for Patients With Implanted Cardioverter Defibrillators in Canada

Background

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) acceptance and shock anxiety are issues that clinicians should address to improve quality of life among device recipients. Previous findings have indicated that younger patients experience poorer device adjustment. The purpose of this study was to examine age and ICD-specific quality-of-life outcomes in a large sample of Canadian ICD patients. We tested the hypothesis that patient age is related to device acceptance and shock anxiety in an Alberta (Canada) ICD population.

Methods

The Florida Patient Acceptance Survey (FPAS) and Florida Shock Acceptance Survey (FSAS) were completed by ICD patients attending the Cardiac Implantable Electrical Device Clinics in Alberta. The population was dichotomized into those aged ≤ 65 years (younger) and those aged > 65 years (older). Sex, ICD shock history, and remote monitoring use were also examined.

Results

Surveys were completed by 126 younger (53 ± 11 years; 79% male) and 216 older (74 ± 6 years; 85% male) patients. Younger, compared with older, patients had greater device-related distress (P < 0.001) and more body-image concerns (P < 0.001), but no differences in return to function or positive appraisal. Younger patients reported lower total device acceptance (P = 0.001) and greater total shock anxiety (P < 0.001) compared with older patients.

Conclusions

ICD patients aged ≤ 65 years reported poorer device acceptance and greater shock anxiety than older patients. Younger patients may require targeted interventions addressing adjustment to the ICD, and impact of the ICD on body image. Moreover, education about the relatively low probability of shocks may alleviate shock anxiety in younger patients.

Patient reported outcomes and quality of life in Chinese patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators✰

OBJECTIVES

Patient reported outcomes in Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) patients can describe the experience of living with heart disease and with an ICD. However, very little is known about patient outcomes among Chinese patients which may limit effective patient discussions and interventions for these patients. The purposes of this study were to examine device related experiences (e.g., device acceptance, shock anxiety) in Chinese ICD patients and identify potential variables that influence health related quality of life (HRQOL) and to compare HRQOL outcomes to healthy and heart failure populations.

METHODS

This study used a cross-sectional research design with serially recruited ICD patients (N = 100) from clinics in China. Participants completed surveys including: the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-12), Florida Patient Acceptance Survey (FPAS), Florida Shock Anxiety Scale (FSAS), Type D Scale (DS-14), and general information questionnaire.

RESULTS

Participants were 100 ICD patients in China with a mean age of 53.32(SD = 13.70). The mean scores of the SF-12 physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS)of ICD patients (43.55 and 47.07, respectively) were lower than the Chinese general population (P<0.001) and general health, social functioning, and role emotional scores were lower than chronic heart failure patients (P<0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that LVEF, positive shock history, age and shock anxiety were significant predictors of physical function and accounted for 24.5% of the adjusted variance. Type D personality, shock history, and shock anxiety were predictors of the mental health component and accounted for 25.9% of the variance. Shock history, age, type D personality, and shock anxiety significantly predicted device acceptance (FPAS-Total) and accounted for 32% of variance.

CONCLUSIONS

ICD patients reported health outcomes were generally lower than the Chinese general population and patients with heart failure in relation to general health, social functioning, and role emotional. Both generic and disease specific HRQOL were influenced by both medical and psychosocial predictors. This suggests that current Western society based comprehensive models of patient HRQOL and patient care needs may extend to Chinese patients with ICDs.

Validity Evidence of the Brazilian Version of the Florida Shock Anxiety Scale for Patients with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators

BACKGROUND

In spite of proven effectiveness of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), shock therapy delivered by the device may result in increased levels of anxiety and depression, leading to deleterious effects on quality of life.

OBJECTIVE

To carry out the translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Florida Shock Anxiety Scale (FSAS) scale into Brazilian Portuguese.

METHODS

In this psychometric study, construct validity was performed by exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analyses, and by item response theory (IRT). The adjustment indexes of the CFA were: Robust Mean-Scaled Chi Square/df NNFI, CFI (Comparative Fit Index), GFI (Goodness Fit Index), AGFI (Adjusted Goodness Fit Index), RMSEA (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation) and RMSR (Root Mean Square of Residuals). Reliability was evaluated through Cronbach's Alpha, McDonald's Omega and Greatest Lower Bound (GLB). The analyses were carried out with the programs SPSS 23 and Factor 10.8.01. A 5 percent significance level was used.

RESULTS

The final Portuguese version of the FSAS was administered to 151 ICD patients, with a mean age of 55.7 ± 14.1 years, and predominantly male. The parallel analysis indicated that the FSAS is unidimensional, with an explained variance of 64.4%. The correlations ranged from 0.31 to 0.77, factor loadings from 0.67 to 0.86, and communalities from 0.46 to 0.74. The adjustment indexes of the CFA were above the quality threshold. Satisfactory reliability evidence was provided by the FSAS.

CONCLUSIONS

The FSAS-Br showed consistent validity and reliability evidence. Therefore, it can be used in ICD patients in Brazil. (Arq Bras Cardiol. 2020; 114(5):764-772).

Clinical Course and Quality of Life in High-Risk Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators

BACKGROUND

High-risk patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are identified by contemporary risk stratification and effectively treated with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). However, long-term HCM clinical course after ICD therapy for ventricular tachyarrhythmias is incompletely understood.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Cohort of 486 high-risk HCM patients with ICDs was assembled from 8 international centers. Clinical course and device interventions were addressed, and survey questionnaires assessed patient anxiety level and psychological well-being related to ICD therapy. Of 486 patients, 94 (19%) experienced appropriate ICD interventions terminating ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation, 3.7% per year for primary prevention, over 6.4±4.7 years. Of 94 patients, 87 were asymptomatic or only mildly symptomatic at the time of appropriate ICD interventions; 74 of these 87 (85%) remained in classes I/II without significant change in clinical status over the subsequent 5.9±4.9 years (up to 22). Among the 94 patients, there was one sudden death (caused by device failure; 1.1%); 3 patients died from other HCM-related processes unrelated to arrhythmic risk (eg, end-stage heart failure). Post-ICD intervention, freedom from HCM mortality was 100%, 97%, and 92% at 1, 5, and 10 years, distinctly lower than in ischemic or nonischemic cardiomyopathy ICD trials. HCM patients with ICD interventions reported heightened anxiety in expectation of future shocks, but with intact general psychological well-being and quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

In HCM, unlike ischemic heart disease, prevention of sudden death with ICD therapy is unassociated with significant increase in cardiovascular morbidity or mortality, or transformation to heart failure deterioration. ICD therapy does not substantially impair overall psychological and physical well-being.

Prevalence of anxiety in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator: measurement equivalence of the HADS-A and the STAI-S

Purpose

The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-A) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) are popular instruments for assessing anxiety and are considered interchangeable, although little is known about their equivalence. Hence, we examined whether the two instruments are (i) equivalent with respect to determining the prevalence of probable clinical anxiety levels and (ii) reflect variation on a common anxiety attribute.

Methods

Score and construct concordance were evaluated using equipercentile equating and bifactor modeling, respectively. Secondary data from the WEBCARE trial and the MIDAS study were used for the current study, where patients implanted with a first-time implantable cardioverter defibrillator completed both the HADS-A and the STAI-S within 10 days post implant.

Results

Data from 710 patients were included in the analyses. Results showed that the STAI-S produced a higher prevalence rate than the HADS-A (39% vs. 23%). A crosswalk table was generated with equivalent scores and cutoffs for the HADS-A and STAI-S, respectively. Bifactoring suggested that HADS-A and STAI-S largely tapped into the same generic anxiety attributes.

Conclusions

STAI-S and HADS-A reflect a common anxiety attribute, but using the recommended cutoff scores on the respective measures show very different prevalence rates and would classify patients as anxious with the STAI-S who would not be identified as such with the HADS-A. Clinicians and researchers should be aware of the inequivalence when using these measures for screening and determining the prevalence of probable clinical anxiety levels.

Influence of Multimorbidity on Burden and Appropriateness of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Therapies

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether burden of multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) influences the risk of receiving inappropriate vs appropriate device therapies.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

Seven US healthcare delivery systems.

PARTICIPANTS

Adults with left ventricular systolic dysfunction receiving an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) for primary prevention.

MEASUREMENTS

Data on 24 comorbid conditions were captured from electronic health records and categorized into quartiles of comorbidity burden (0-3, 4-5, 6-7 and 8-16). Incidence of ICD therapies (shock and antitachycardia pacing [ATP] therapies), including appropriateness, was collected for 3 years after implantation. Outcomes included time to first ICD therapy, total ICD therapy burden, and risk of inappropriate vs appropriate ICD therapy.

RESULTS

Among 2235 patients (mean age = 69 ± 11 years, 75% men), the median number of comorbidities was 6 (interquartile range = 4-8), with 98% having at least two comorbidities. During a mean 2.2 years of follow-up, 18.3% of patients experienced at least one appropriate therapy and 9.9% experienced at least one inappropriate therapy. Higher comorbidity burden was associated with an increased risk of first inappropriate therapy (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 1.94 [95% confidence interval {CI} = 1.14-3.31] for 4-5 comorbidities; HR = 2.25 [95% CI = 1.25-4.05] for 6-7 comorbidities; and HR = 2.91 [95% CI = 1.54-5.50] for 8-16 comorbidities). Participants with 8-16 comorbidities had a higher total burden of ICD therapy (adjusted relative risk [RR] = 2.12 [95% CI = 1.43-3.16]), a higher burden of inappropriate therapy (RR = 3.39 [95% CI = 1.67-6.86]), and a higher risk of receiving inappropriate vs appropriate therapy (RR = 1.74 [95% CI = 1.07-2.82]). Comorbidity burden was not significantly associated with receipt of appropriate ICD therapies. Patterns were similar when separately examining shock or ATP therapies.

CONCLUSIONS

In primary prevention ICD recipients, MCC burden was independently associated with an increased risk of inappropriate but not appropriate device therapies. Comorbidity burden should be considered when engaging patients in shared decision making about ICD implantation.

Effects of implantable cardioverter/defibrillator shock and antitachycardia pacing on anxiety and quality of life: A MADIT-RIT substudy

Effects of implantable cardioverter/defibrillator (ICD) shocks and antitachycardia pacing (ATP) on anxiety and quality of life (QoL) in ICD patients are poorly understood.

METHODS

We evaluated changes in QoL from baseline to 9-month follow-up using the EQ-5D questionnaire in patients enrolled in the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial-Reduce Inappropriate Therapy (MADIT-RIT) (n=1,268). We assessed anxiety levels using the Florida Shock Anxiety Scale (1-10 score) in patients with appropriate or inappropriate shocks or ATP compared to those with no ICD therapy during the first 9 months postimplant. The analysis was stratified by number of ATP or shocks (0-1 vs ≥2) and adjusted for covariates.

RESULTS

In MADIT-RIT, 15 patients (1%) had ≥2 appropriate shocks, 38 (3%) had ≥2 appropriate ATPs. Two or more inappropriate shocks were delivered in 16 patients (1%); ≥2 inappropriate ATPs, in 70. In multivariable analysis, patients with ≥2 appropriate shocks had higher levels of shock-related anxiety than those with ≤1 appropriate shock (P<.01). Furthermore, ≥2 inappropriate shocks produced more anxiety than ≤1 inappropriate shock (P=.005). Consistently, ≥2 appropriate ATPs resulted in more anxiety than ≤1 (P=.028), whereas the number of inappropriate ATPs showed no association with anxiety levels (P=.997). However, there was no association between QoL and appropriate or inappropriate ATP/shock (all P values > .05).

CONCLUSIONS

In MADIT-RIT, ≥2 appropriate or inappropriate ICD shocks and ≥2 appropriate ATPs are associated with more anxiety at 9-month follow-up despite no significant changes in the assessment of global QoL by the EQ-5D questionnaire. Innovative ICD programming reducing inappropriate therapies may help deal with patient concerns about the device.

Patient-centred care of patients with ventricular arrhythmias and risk of sudden cardiac death: What do the 2015 European Society of Cardiology guidelines add?

Nurses and allied professionals are at the forefront of care delivery in patients with arrythmogenic risk and have a responsibility to deliver care that is focused on their individual needs. The 2015 European Society of Cardiology guideline on prevention of ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death heralds a step-change in patient and family focus and interdisciplinary involvement. This development reflects a recognition within the European Society of Cardiology that chronic care of patients with cardiovascular conditions can be improved by involving all stakeholders, making use of multidisciplinary interventions, and placing the patient at the centre of the care process. In this article, taskforce contributors discuss the latest evidence and highlight some of the most pertinent issues for nurses involved in patient-centred care of patients and families with ventricular arrhythmias and/or risk of sudden death.

Patient-reported outcomes and associations with pleural effusion in outpatients with heart failure: an observational cohort study

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to study whether patient-reported outcomes, measured by quality of life (QoL) and functional class, are sensitive to pleural effusion (PLE) in patients with heart failure (HF), and to study changes in QoL and functional class during follow-up of PLE.

METHODS

A cohort of 62 patients from an outpatient HF clinic was included. The amount of PLE was quantified using a pocket-sized ultrasound imaging device. Self-reports of QoL and functional class were collected using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) and the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification.

RESULTS

At baseline, 26 (42%) patients had PLE of which 19 (31%) patients had moderate to severe amounts of PLE. Patients with no to mild PLE had a lower MLHFQ score (mean 42, SD 21) compared with patients with a moderate to severe amount of PLE (mean 55, SD 24), p=0.03. For 28 patients (45%) with follow-up data, we observed a linear improvement of the MLHFQ-score (3.2, 95% CI 1.2 to 5.1) with each centimetre reduction of PLE. Correspondingly, patient-reported NYHA-class followed the same pattern as the MLHFQ-score.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study indicates that patient-reported outcome measures as MLHFQ may be sensitive tools to identify patients with HF at highest risk of symptomatic PLE and that treatment targeting reduction of PLE during follow-up is essential to improvement of QoL and functional capacity of outpatients with HF.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT01794715; Results.

Longitudinal changes in quality of life following ICD implant and the impact of age, gender, and ICD shocks: observations from the INTRINSIC RV trial

PURPOSE

ICDs can improve survival in at-risk patients but no consensus exists with respect to their impact on health-related quality of life (QOL). Moreover, the data are unclear on QOL benefits in specific patient subgroups. We sought to analyze, in the INTRINSIC RV ICD trial population, health-related QOL longitudinally following ICD implant and consider impact of age, gender, and ICD shocks on QOL by employing a global measure of health-related QOL.

METHODS

One thousand five hundred thirty patients had an ICD implanted. One week after implant (n = 1461), 988 patients were randomized to DDDR with AV search hysteresis (n = 502) or VVI (n = 486) programming. QOL data, using the SF-36 short form, were obtained for the 1461 patient cohort, irrespective of randomization status, at baseline and prospectively for 1 year following ICD implant.

RESULTS

Longitudinal mixed-effect analyses revealed significant improvements from baseline across all SF-36 subscales and component scores for the overall study cohort. Women had a substantially lower QOL at baseline, although their improvement after implant was similar to men. Patients <50 years scored consistently worse at baseline but experienced the greatest QOL improvement versus other age groups. Patients with higher NYHA class, angina, and diabetes had greater QOL improvements. There was no significant difference in QOL between patients with and without ICD shocks.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that QOL was reportedly better post-implant and suggest that benefits associated with ICD implantation go beyond the direct treatment of arrhythmias, with benefits seen across genders and different age groups. These results further highlight that ICD implantation, in and of itself, does not reduce QOL.

Sleep, Psychosocial Functioning, and Device-Specific Adjustment in Patients with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs)

Rates of sleep disorders and associated adjustment were examined in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs; n = 42; Mage = 61.57, SD = 12.60). One night of ambulatory polysomnography, 14 days of sleep diaries, and questionnaires (mood, sleepiness, fatigue, device acceptance) were administered. Controlling for ischemia, MANCOVA examined adjustment by sleep diagnosis. Apnea was most common (28.6%), followed by Insomnia (16.7%) and Comorbid Insomnia/Apnea (11.9%). Patients with insomnia reported poorer mood, greater sleepiness, and lower device acceptance than good sleepers; they also demonstrated poorer mood and less ICD device acceptance than patients with sleep apnea. Patients with comorbid insomnia/apnea also exhibited poorer mood and less ICD device acceptance than good sleepers; however, comorbid patients did not significantly differ from insomnia or apnea patients on any measure. Those with disordered sleep (regardless of type) reported greater fatigue than good sleepers. Assessment (and treatment) of difficulties with sleep, mood, fatigue, and device acceptance may be important for the comprehensive clinical management of ICD patients. Further research appears warranted.

Concerns about implantable cardioverter-defibrillator shocks mediate the relationship between actual shocks and psychological distress

AIMS

Although most implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) patients cope well, fears about receiving ICD shocks have been identified as a major determinant of psychological distress. The relationships among ICD-related concerns, receipt of defibrillating shocks, and symptoms of anxiety and depression have not yet been investigated. Our objective was to examine whether the relationship between receipt of defibrillating shocks and psychological distress was mediated by patients' concerns related to their ICD.

METHODS AND RESULTS

All Swedish ICD-recipients were invited to this cross-sectional correlational study; 3067 completing the survey (55% response rate). Their mean age was 66 ± 11 years, and 80% were male. One-third (35%) had received defibrillating shocks, and 26% had high ICD-related concerns. Regression analyses demonstrated that having received at least one shock significantly predicted symptoms of anxiety and depression [odds ratio (OR) 1.58 and OR 3.04, respectively]. The association between receipt of shocks and psychologically distress was mediated by high ICD-related concerns which explained 68% of the relationship between shocks and symptoms of anxiety, and 54% of the relationship between shocks and symptoms of depression.

CONCLUSION

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator-related concerns have a bigger impact on psychological distress than receipt of an actual shock. Assessing ICD-related concerns in clinical practice can identify patients at risk for psychological distress. Further research on assessment of, and interventions targeting, ICD-related concerns is warranted.