title: Evaluation of patients' quality of life aspects after cardiac pacemaker implantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate patients' quality of life aspects after pacemaker implantation, relating it to gender, age, and implantation timespan.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 107 clinically stable patients of both genders (49.5% women and 50.5% men) over 18 years old (average 69.3±12.6 years) and presenting an implantation timespan of three to 12 months (average 6.36Â±2.99 months) were evaluated. The evaluation included personal, clinical, and implant data as well as quality of life questionnaires (AQUAREL and SF-36). Statistical analysis was conducted using the t test and Pearson correlation, with a 5% significance level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The lowest SF-36 score referred to physical aspects, and the highest score referred to social aspects. In AQUAREL, the lowest score referred to dyspnea, and the highest referred to discomfort. There was a significant association between gender and quality of life in SF-36 (physical functioning and emotional aspects) and in AQUAREL (dyspnea). A negative correlation was observed between age and quality of life (functional capacity in SF-36, and discomfort in AQUAREL) in relation to implantation timespan, a correlation with vitality from SF-36.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower quality of life scores were found in physical aspects and dyspnea; and higher scores in social aspects and discomfort. Men presented higher quality of life scores related to physical functioning, emotional aspects and dyspnea. As age increases, quality of life worsens regarding functional capacity and discomfort; and the longer the pacemaker implantation timespan, the worse quality of life when it comes to vitality. Gender, age, and implantation timespan influence quality of life; thus, these variables must be considered in strategies for improving quality of life of patients with pacemakers.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Rubens Tofano de
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Marília, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Sebastião Marcos Ribeiro de
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Marcos Augusto de Moraes
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Curso de Fisioterapia, Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Alfenas, Alfenas, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Juliana Bassalobre Carvalho
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Borges
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult