title: Perceived Benefits of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Implantation among Heart Failure Patients and Its Relation to Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with heart failure (HF) and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) may misunderstand the indication of ICDs due to unsatisfactory information. The goal of this study is to evaluate the patient perspective of ICD indication and its relation to quality of life, as well as to identify probable communication gaps between doctors and ICD receivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 119 patients with HF who were implanted with a single-chamber ICD were evaluated in outpatient clinics. Patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillators were not included in the study. In a questionnaire, patients were asked about the indication of the ICD procedure and classified according to the perceived benefits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This study showed that most of the patients (n = 92, 77.3%) believed that ICD was implanted for improvement of heart dysfunction or for symptom relief. According to the perceived benefit groups, physical function, general health, vitality, and role physical scores were significantly lower in the symptom relief group (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with HF and ICD mostly believed that the cardioverter defibrillator implanted for improving heart function or symptom relief. Doctors play a significant role when a patient is first referred for ICD because less-informed patients are more prone to misunderstand the procedure's benefits. Moreover, unfulfilled expectations may lead to loss of confidence in applied therapies and result in poor health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. kevs84@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kevser Gülcihan
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Balci
authors.affiliation: Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa Mücahit
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Balci
authors.affiliation: Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Kadri
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Akboğa
authors.affiliation: Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.affiliation: Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Burak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Açar
authors.affiliation: Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Samet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
authors.affiliation: Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Emek
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ediboğlu
authors.affiliation: Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Orhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Maden
authors.affiliation: Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hatice
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Selcuk
authors.affiliation: Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Timur
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Selcuk
authors.affiliation: Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Temizhan
authors.affiliation: Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sinan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aydoğdu
keywords: Heart failure; Implantable cardioverter defibrillator; Perception; Quality of life