Predictors of Quality of Life, Anxiety and Acceptance in Patients with Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator

An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) can cause high levels of anxiety and depression, resulting in negative effects on quality of life.

To evaluate the quality of life, anxiety, and acceptance of the ICD using standardized measurement instruments and identify predictors of better responses for each of the outcomes studied.

This is a prospective cohort study with patients undergoing initial ICD implantation or reoperation to maintain the device. The study outcomes included quality of life, anxiety, and acceptance of the ICD. The change in scores (30 and 180 days) was assessed using the minimal important difference (MID). Univariate analysis and the multivariate logistic regression model were used to identify predictors of better responses, adopting a significance level of 5%.

A total of 147 patients were included between January/2020 to June/2021, with a mean age of 55.3 ± 13.4 years and a predominance of males (72.1%). The MID for quality of life, anxiety, and ICD acceptance were observed in 33 (22.4%), 36 (24.5%) and 43 (29.3%) patients, respectively. Age equal to or greater than 60 years (OR=2.5; 95%CI=1.14-5.53; p=0.022), absence of atrial fibrillation (OR=3.8; 95%CI=1.26-11.63; p=0.017) and female gender (OR=2.2; 95%CI=1.02-4.97; p=0.045) were independent predictors of better responses to quality of life, anxiety and acceptance of the ICD, respectively.

The identification of predictors for better quality of life scores, anxiety, and acceptance of the device can support the implementation of specific care for patients with a greater chance of presenting unfavorable results.