Predictors of physical functional disability at 5 to 6 years after heart transplantation

Kathleen L. Grady*, David C. Naftel, James K. Kirklin, Connie White-Williams, Jon Kobashigawa, Julie Chait, James B. Young, Dave Pelegrin, Kim Patton-Schroeder, Bruce Rybarczyk, Jason Daily, William Piccione, Alain Heroux

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Few reports were found in the literature that examined predictors of physical functional disability after heart transplantation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to (1) describe physical functional disability, (2) identify differences in physical functional disability by demographic and clinical variables, and (3) identify predictors of physical functional disability at 5 to 6 years after heart transplantation. Methods: A nonrandom sample of 311 patients (approximately 60 years of age, 78% male, and 90% Caucasian) who were 5 to 6 years post-heart transplantation were investigated. Patients completed 8 reliable and valid quality-of-life instruments via self-report. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, chi-square, independent t-tests, correlations, and stepwise multiple regression. Level of significance was set at p = 0.05. Results: The level of physical functional disability was low at 5 to 6 years after heart transplantation, yet 59% of patients reported having physical disability. Women experienced more functional disability than men, and patients with comorbidities (i.e., diabetes mellitus and orthopedic problems) experienced more functional disability than patients without these comorbidities. At 5 to 6 years after heart transplantation, 70% of variance in physical functional disability was explained by activities of daily living, symptoms, comorbidities, psychologic status, and resource utilization variables. Conclusions: At 5 to 6 years after heart transplantation, most patients experienced low levels of physical functional disability. Differences in physical functional disability were identified by both demographic characteristics and clinical variables. Predictors of physical functional disability included activities of daily living and symptoms, and clinical, psychologic, and resource utilization variables. Knowledge of factors related to physical disability long-term after heart transplantation provides direction for the development of strategies to assist patients to reduce their level of disability or function adequately despite their disability.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2279-2285
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Heart and Lung Transplantation
Volume24
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2005

Funding

This research was funded by the NIH (National Institute of Nursing Research, R01 #NR005200), a grant-in-aid from the College of Nursing, Rush University, and intramural funding from the Rush Heart Institute, Rush University Medical Center.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Transplantation
  • Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
  • Surgery

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