När hjärtat sviker : Upplevd livskvalitet hos patienter med ett mekaniskt hjälphjärta En litteraturstudie

Sammanfattning: Background: Approximately two percent of the population in Sweden suffers from heart failure. The next three decades will see a dramatic increase in people at risk of heart failure and with a shortage of available donors, alternatives to transplantation need to be used. The heart-assist device can be obtained as destination therapy or as bridge to transplantation and implies challenges for patient’s quality of life. Aim: To examine how patients living with a heart-assist device experience their quality of life from the perspectives of physical, mental, and social health.  Method: A literature review with qualitative design. The results of the study are based on eleven qualitative studies acquired from the databases PubMed, CINAHL and Web Of Science. Selected articles were examined using the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services (SBU: s) template for qualitative methodology.  Result: Three main categories and ten subcategories were identified. One category was physical health, with the following subcategories: Adaptations to deal with everyday life, limitations in everyday life and physical ability. Another category was mental/ spiritual health with following subcategories: negative emotions, strategies for dealing with the situation, beliefs and experiences of control and acceptance. The final category was social health, with the following subcategories: relationship with family and friends, social support and changed self-image.  Conclusion: To receive and carry a heart-assist device poses great challenges for patients and their social environment. Through a holistic approach nurses can create good conditions for patients to experience a good quality of life.