title: The Effects of Mitral Valve Repair on Memory Performance, Executive Function, and Psychological Measures in Patients With Heart Failure.
abstract: Heart failure (HF) is a prevalent disease that remains costly and associated with a high mortality rate. HF is also associated with poor neurocognitive functioning. For the treatment for HF patients with severe mitral regurgitation, the MitraClip device has emerged as a promising interventional tool that reduces the mitral valve leakage and thus increases cardiac output. Currently, there is only limited knowledge on changes in cognitive and psychosocial functioning before and after the MitraClip intervention.
  
  
  
  Cognitive function (memory and executive function) and psychosocial measures (depression, anxiety, and quality of life) were assessed before and after the MitraClip intervention in 24 HF patients and 23 healthy participants (comparison group).
  
  
  
  MitraClip intervention in HF patients was followed by improvements in figural long-term memory (p = .003) and executive function (planning ability, p < .001) relative to the comparison group. In addition, the intervention resulted in a significant improvement in depression (p = .002), anxiety (p = .003) and quality of life scores (physical p = .017, mental p = .013) as well as improved 6-minute walk test results over time (p = .002).
  
  
  
  The presented data provide evidence of a significant improvement in memory and executive function as well as in depression, anxiety, and quality of life scores in patients with chronic HF after MitraClip intervention. Further research is needed to shed light on the long-term development of cognitive function, psychosocial well-being, and clinical parameters after MitraClip intervention and how these factors depend on one another.
authors.affiliation: From the Centre for Psychosocial Medicine and Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics (Nikendei, Schäfer, Huber, Herzog, Schultz), University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of General Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Weisbrod), Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Weisbrod), SRH Klinikum Karlsbad-Langensteinbach, Karlsbad-Langensteinbach, Germany; and Department of Cardiology, Angiology, and Pneumology (Geis, Katus, Bekeredjian, Pleger), Medical Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nikendei
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schäfer
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weisbrod
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Geis
authors.forename: Hugo A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Katus
authors.forename: Raffi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bekeredjian
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Herzog
authors.forename: Sven T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Pleger
authors.forename: Jobst-Hendrik
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Schultz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000628:therapy*; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D057567:Memory, Long-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000628:therapy*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*