Patients' motivation to undergo transcatheter aortic valve replacement. A phenomenological hermeneutic study.
Maria Lachonius, Sara Wallström, Annika Odell and 4 others
PMID 36464490WHAT IT FOUND
Older patients chose TAVR primarily to avoid becoming dependent on others or entering a nursing home.
Despite severe physical limitations, they maintained a strong desire for independence and hope for the future. This suggests preoperative discussions should focus on realistic expectations for daily life.
Key findings
01The primary motivation for undergoing TAVR was the fear of becoming dependent on others and losing independence.
02Patients reported that their lives were 'on hold' due to physical limitations, which made them feel life was not worth living under those circumstances.
03Positive experiences of relatives or acquaintances with cardiac interventions helped patients overcome doubts and fear of the procedure.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only 18 patients, so findings represent one possible interpretation of lived experience and are not statistically generalizable. All interviews were conducted the day after TAVR, which may have influenced how patients expressed their expectations and fears due to the immediate postoperative context. Participants were excluded if they had severe cognitive impairment or did not speak Swedish, potentially limiting the applicability to other populations. The study did not assess actual post-TAVR outcomes or whether patients' expectations were met, focusing only on their motivation for undergoing the procedure.
Declared interests
Funding was provided by the Local Research and Development Council Gothenburg and Södra Bohuslän and the Swedish state under the ALF agreement. One author (AJ) reports personal fees from Boehinger Ingelheim, Portola, Baxter, and LFB bio-medicaments, unrelated to the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that TAVR successfully restored independence or met expectations. This study explored motivation and pre-procedure feelings only; it did not measure post-procedure functional outcomes or whether patients actually avoided dependency.