Women with atrial fibrillation undergoing pulmonary vein isolation are more symptomatic but improve more in health-related quality of life and symptom burden than men.

Gender differences in symptoms and perceived health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) referred to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) have been reported previously. Women experience a lower HRQOL, faster heart rate, and more symptoms such as palpitation and dyspnea than men. Furthermore, they experience worse physical functioning independently of other heart diseases or age. This study evaluates referral patterns and symptoms, morbidity, functional impairment, and HRQOL from a gender perspective in patients with AF before and 6 months after PVI. The study includes 242 patients (121 men), mean age 62 ± 9 years, referred for PVI. Symptoms were assessed with the Symptom Checklist: Frequency and Severity (SCL), HRQOL with Short Form 36 (SF-36), and the functional impairment with Sickness Impact Profile (SIP). The patients' own experiences of the referral process and history of their disease were evaluated with a supplementary questionnaire. The results showed that women improved more than men in HRQOL, SIP, and SCL 6 months post PVI. There were no sex differences in proportion of paroxysmal and persistent AF or ablation outcome. At baseline, women scored higher than men in both scales of the SCL (p < 0.001), scored lower in all components in SF-36, and scored higher in five categories of the SIP. Women were not more reluctant to accept referral for ablation when offered. The conclusion is that women with AF undergoing PVI are more symptomatic but also improve more in HRQOL and in symptom burden than men.

The Discharge Process-From a Patient's Perspective.

Inadequacy in discharge planning, preparation of readiness, and unplanned readmissions are closely linked and could cause misutilization of hospital services, creating higher costs to the health-care system. The information given before discharge is vital and of great importance for the well-being of the patient. The study's objective was to describe the patient's experience of their discharge process. A descriptive study was designed. Fifteen (n = 15) interviews with patients at one University Swedish hospital were held, and a qualitative content analysis was made from the collected data. The results show that accessibility, information, communication, confidence, and participation are pivotal in future development in the discharge process. The findings of this study indicate that in affirmation with the patient's experiences and desires, there is a great urgency for improvement in the discharge process. There is a need to focus on information and communication at discharge by initiating interaction from the nurses together with the doctors at a specific time in the discharge process. The discharge process needs to be more individualized and person-centered which could lead to better patient governance. Both accessibility and continuity need to be improved. The information given needs to be met with the patient's level of understanding.

Atrio-ventricular junction ablation and pacemaker treatment: a comparison between men and women.

OBJECTIVES: To explore sex differences regarding indication for atrio-ventricular junction ablation (AVJ), choice of pacing system, complications to pacemaker treatment, long-term outcome, and cause of death after AVJ ablation. DESIGN: 700 patients who had undergone AVJ ablation between January 1990 and December 2010 were included. Data were retrieved from the patients´ medical records and the Swedish Pacemaker and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Registry. Information about admission to hospital and cause of death was retrieved from the National Board of Health and Welfare. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 90 ± 64 months. Indication for AVJ ablation, choice of pacing system, and outcome after AVJ ablation differed between the sexes. The men had more often permanent atrial fibrillation, p = .0001, and a VVIR pacemaker or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) implanted prior to ablation, p = .0001. Heart failure was present in 44% of the men vs. 28% of the women, p = .0001. LVEF decreased slightly in the whole cohort after the AVJ ablation. There were no sex differences in complication rates due to the pacemaker/ICD treatment, p = .3 or mortality due to AVJ ablation. CONCLUSION: In this long-term follow-up in patients with atrial fibrillation treated with AVJ ablation and pacing, indication, choice of pacing system, and morbidity differed but there were no sex differences regarding survival or primary cause of death found. The main factor influencing survival was age at the time of ablation. Women less often received treatment with ICD and/or CRT when indication was present compared with men.

The older patient's experience of the healthcare chain and information when undergoing colorectal cancer surgery according to the enhanced recovery after surgery concept.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To describe how older patients experience the healthcare chain and information given before, during and after colorectal cancer surgery. BACKGROUND: Most persons with colorectal cancer are older than 70 years and undergo surgery with subsequent enhanced recovery programmes aiming to quickly restore preoperative function. However, adaptation of such programmes to suit the older patient has not been made. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive study. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted on 16 patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery at a Swedish University Hospital. The inductive content analysis was employed. RESULTS: During the period of primary investigation and diagnosis, a paucity of information regarding the disease and management, and lack of help in coping with the diagnosis of cancer and its impact on future life, leads to a feeling of vulnerability. During their stay in hospital, the patient's negative perception of the hospital environment, their need for support, and uncertainty and anxiety about the future are evident. After discharge, rehabilitation is perceived as lacking in structure and individual adaptation, leading to disappointment. Persistent difficulty with nutrition delays recovery, and confusion regarding division of responsibility between primary and specialist care leads to increased anxiety and feelings of vulnerability. Information on self-care is perceived as inadequate. Furthermore, provided information is not always understood and therefore not useful. CONCLUSION: Information before and after surgery must be tailored to meet the needs of older persons, considering the patient's knowledge and ability to understand. Furthermore, individual nutritional requirements and preoperative physical activity and status must be taken into account when planning rehabilitation. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Patient information must be personalised and made understandable. This can improve self-preparation and participation in the own recovery. Special needs must be addressed early and followed up.

Women with PSVT are often misdiagnosed, referred later than men, and have more symptoms after ablation.

OBJECTIVES: Using a patient and gender perspective, this study evaluates the experiences and perspectives of referral for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT), and symptoms, Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) and functional impairment before and six months after ablation. DESIGN: This prospective study includes 214 (109 women) patients with PSVT who completed questionnaires before and after ablation addressing referral patterns, duration of arrhythmia, socioeconomic status, symptoms, HRQOL, and functional impairment. RESULT: Women had a longer history of symptomatic arrhythmia before ablation compared to men (16.2 ± 14.6 vs. 9.9 ± 13.1 years, p = .001). From the patient's perspective, physicians more often incorrectly interpreted women's symptoms as anxiety, stress, panic attacks, or depression compared to men, delaying referral for ablation. More women than men stated they were not taken seriously when consulting for their tachycardia symptoms (17% vs.7%, p = .03). At baseline, there were minor differences between the sexes in HRQOL and functional impairment, but women had a higher symptom score on Symptoms Checklist Frequency (19 vs. 14, p < .001) and Severity Scale (12 vs. 16, p = .001). At six months, women were more symptomatic and their HRQOL improved less than in men. Both sexes reported improvement in recreation and pastime (p = .001). CONCLUSION: Women with PSVT are referred for ablation later, and are more symptomatic before and after ablation than men. Symptoms due to PSVT are often incorrectly diagnosed as panic attacks, stress, anxiety, or depression, misdiagnoses that delay referral for ablation, especially for women.

Clinical features and long-term survival in chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction and enteric dysmotility.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIP) is the most severe form of intestinal dysmotility. Enteric dysmotility (ED) has been proposed as a new diagnostic label for patients with disturbed intestinal motility and severe symptoms but no radiological signs of pseudo-obstruction. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical features, small-bowel manometry findings and long-term survival in patients with CIP and ED. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data collected during a 16-year period from 1987 to 2002 were retrospectively analysed and followed-up through 2007 in a tertiary referral centre. The study comprised 55 patients (41 F, median age 42 years, range 23-76) with CIP and 70 patients (63 F, median age 39 years, range 18-71) with ED. RESULTS: The median observation time was 9.9 years (range 5.2-20.1). Nineteen patients with CIP (35%) and 9 patients with ED (13%) died. Survival among patients with ED was significantly better (p<0.05). Patients with CIP (49%) needed parenteral nutrition more often than patients with ED (14%). Small-bowel manometry showed similar abnormalities in the two groups but absence of a fed motor response to meals was seen in 16/43 patients with CIP compared to none with ED (p<0.001), sustained periods of uncoordinated phasic activity were more common (p<0.05) in CIP patients (23/45) than in ED patients (19/70) and severe hypomotility was only seen in 7 patients with CIP. CONCLUSIONS: CIP and ED differ with respect to severity of measurable physiological derangement, nutritional needs and long-term prognosis. Our findings indicate that CIP and ED are different entities that require different approaches to management.

Functional status, health-related quality of life and symptom severity in patients with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction and enteric dysmotility.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether patients with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIP) differ from those with enteric dysmotility (ED) regarding self-reported measures of functional status, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and gastrointestinal symptoms. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study comprised 28 patients with CIP (median age 48, range 28-80 years) and 26 with ED (median age 50, range 20-75 years). Three self-administered questionnaires were used: the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), the Swedish HRQoL Questionnaire (SWED-QUAL) and the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS). RESULTS: Patients with CIP reported significantly greater functional impairment in the aggregated physical dimension of SIP (15.4 SD 19.7) than did patients with ED (5.0 SD 7.2, p<0.01). They also reported significantly poorer general health (SWED-QUAL) (28.0 SD 20.8) compared to those with ED (44.8 SD 25.2, p <0.01). Symptom severity correlated with several measures of HRQoL and functional status in patients with CIP but abdominal pain severity was the only independent predictor of HRQoL. Abdominal pain alone explained between 21% and 67% of the variance in SWED-QUAL subscales. Likewise, the severity of indigestion symptoms among patients with CIP explained 20-24% of the variance in the SIP subscales, emotional behaviour and work. Much less correlation between symptom severity and functional impairment or HRQoL was found in patients with ED. We found no difference in symptom severity (GSRS) between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CIP reported a greater impairment of functional status and HRQoL than did patients with ED. Symptom severity had a stronger influence on functional status and HRQoL in patients with CIP.

Health care use in patients with chronic intestinal dysmotility before and after introducing a specialized day-care unit.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Patients with chronic intestinal dysmotility (CID) have a lifelong disease, and no curative treatment is available. Interventions are needed to improve the care and support of the patients. The aim of this study was to measure health-care consumption in adult patients with CID before and after the introduction of a specialized day-care unit. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was made of medical and nursing records from 3 different health-care delivery systems: period I, traditional care (1987-1996); period II, outpatient clinic (1997-1999); and period III, specialized day-care unit (2000-2002). There were 54 patients (44 women) with a median age of 47 years (range, 22-80 years). RESULTS: The need for admissions to hospital care decreased from 80% to 35% of the patients after the introduction of the specialized day-care unit (P < .002). Also, the mean number of days in hospital care per patient and year was reduced from 39.4 to 3.3 days. The number of outpatient visits remained unaltered. The average cost per patient-year decreased from $32,698 during traditional health-care services to $9,681 after introducing the specialized day-care unit (P < .002). Irrespective of the form of care delivery, the majority of patients (67%-77%) needed daily treatment with analgesics, and 81%-84% needed nutritional support on a regular basis. CONCLUSIONS: Individually tailored care at a specialized day-care unit leads to substantially decreased needs for hospital stays and lower costs in patients with CID.