title: Demographic, psychosocial, and behavioral factors associated with survival after heart transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Heart transplantation requires substantial personal, financial, and psychosocial resources. Using an existing multisite data set, we examined predictors of mortality at 5 to 10 years after heart transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  All 555 participants completed a self-report quality of life instrument. Of these patients, 55 (10%) died 5 to 10 years after heart transplantation. Statistical analyses included frequencies, means, Pearson correlation coefficients, and Cox proportional hazard modeling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Educational level and higher levels of social and economic satisfaction were predictive of improved survival. Conversely, married status, more cumulative infections, the presence of hematologic disorders, higher New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, and poor adherence to medical care predicted worse survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Demographic, clinical, psychosocial, and behavioral factors were important predictors of long-term survival after heart transplantation. These findings have important implications for patient selection for heart transplantation, as well as for posttransplantation care.
authors: Center for Cardiovascular Innovation, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. sfarmer@nmff.org
authors: Steven A
authors: SA
authors: Farmer
authors: Kathleen L
authors: KL
authors: Grady
authors: Edward
authors: E
authors: Wang
authors: Edwin C
authors: EC
authors: McGee
authors: William G
authors: WG
authors: Cotts
authors: Patrick M
authors: PM
authors: McCarthy
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000401:mortality* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology