Inside the Living Room: What 21 Heart Failure Patients Told Us About Life with an Implanted Device
Some insights only come from sitting in a patient's living room.
A company developing a less invasive mechanical circulatory support device wanted to understand the quality of life for people with advanced heart failure and how they might weigh the trade-offs of an implanted device.
That meant meeting patients where they live. In total, 21 patients were interviewed for two hours each at their homes in Florida, Illinois, and Indiana.
The sample covered:
12 heart failure patients, all with past experience of severe symptoms, some now improved with medication
8 patients living with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) for between three months and four years
1 patient who had received a transplant after an LVAD
Respondents had worked in a wide range of jobs, from company director to factory worker. Most were now living with disability.
Recruiting chronically ill patients for home visits is difficult, and the report is candid about the results. Despite efforts to balance the sample, it was skewed: seven of nine LVAD patients were men, while 11 of 12 heart failure patients were women. The report also notes that a paid incentive may have attracted lower-income respondents.
The visits still gave a rare view of daily life. Patients reacted strongly to the idea of a driveline and batteries, and most talked about an LVAD as a bridge to transplant rather than a long-term therapy.
