Health-related quality of life in patients with heart failure eligible for treatment with sacubitril-valsartan.
Lena Holmlund, Margareta Brännström, Krister Lindmark and 2 others
PMID 32089852WHAT IT FOUND
Among 59 patients with severe heart failure eligible for sacubitril-valsartan, overall quality of life did not differ by age.
Older patients reported lower confidence in self-care and more physical limitation, and worse heart failure class was associated with lower quality of life.
Key findings
01Overall health-related quality of life did not differ between younger and older patients.
02Older patients had significantly lower self-efficacy and physical limitation scores than younger patients.
03Higher NYHA classification was independently associated with lower overall quality-of-life score.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Single centre, 59 patients, mostly male, so it may not apply to other hospitals or women. Small sample and cross-sectional design, so it cannot show causes and may miss real differences. 19 patients were excluded after record review and only 59 of 76 invited patients were included, so selection may matter. Older patients also had lower education and higher systolic blood pressure, so age may be mixed with other factors. NYHA class was unknown for 11 patients. KCCQ self-efficacy reliability was modest (Cronbach alpha 0.65). EQ-5D used a British index because no Swedish index was available.
Declared interests
One author received lecture grants from Novartis. No other conflicts were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that older patients have worse overall quality of life. The study found no significant difference in overall quality of life between younger and older patients; only self-efficacy and physical limitation scores were lower in the older group.