title: Cardiac disease and its consequences on the partner relationship: a systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiac disease is a chronic illness that has extensive impact on patients and their partners. No previous review has been made on how the partner relationship is affected following cardiac disease. The review limited itself to the main cardiac disease of myocardial ischemia, arrhythmia and heart failure.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this review was to identify how the partner relationship is affected following cardiac disease after hospital discharge.
  
  
  METHODS
  CINAHL, PubMed and PsycINFO were searched from 1999 to 2009. Quality assessment of included articles was made using the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers' Manual. A total of 20 articles were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five themes identified how the partner relationship is affected following cardiac disease, namely: overprotection, communication deficiency, sexual concerns, changes in domestic roles, and adjustment to illness. Patients reported feeling overprotected by their spouses which occasionally served as a fertile ground for arguments or conflicts. Most couples experienced some implications concerning their sexual life following cardiac disease, though in various degrees. Both patients and partners seemed to experience communication deficiency concerning emotions within their relationship following the event. Most couples experienced a shift in roles and responsibilities within their partner relationship. Even though most couples experienced great distress following being afflicted with cardiac disease they reported that the disease had brought them closer together.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The review found that though couples found the cardiac event distressful they conformed and adjusted their relationship to the new situation.
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Caring Sciences, Linneaus University, Kalmar, Sweden. dato0909@student.hj.se
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dalteg
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Benzein
authors.forename: Bengt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fridlund
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Malm
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D003144:Communication Barriers; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008016:Life Change Events; D010351:Patient Discharge; D012380:Role; D019529:Sexuality; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*