Satisfaction with treatment and prevalence of discomfort after external electrical cardioversion

The objective of this study was to evaluate patient satisfaction with direct current (DC) cardioversion and the prevalence of discomfort after the process. A descriptive study of patients (N = 75) who underwent DC cardioversion in the cardiology department of the Juan Canalejo Hospital, Spain, was conducted. As many as 53.8% of the patients stated that they experienced discomfort with DC cardioversion. The factors associated with relatively more discomfort were being a female and younger age. Receiving information before DC cardioversion protected against discomfort (OR = 0.16). All of the patients were satisfied with the way they were treated, but 21.2% were not satisfied with the results. After adjusting for different covariates, patients who were informed about cardioversion before the procedure were more satisfied with the treatment (OR = 4.9). The patients showed a high degree of satisfaction with the treatment received. Information increases the probability of satisfaction and decreases discomfort.