The fiftieth anniversary of the first pacemaker implant has been celebrated at the 16th annual Cardiostim, which takes place from 18 to 21 June 2008 in Nice.
The first pacemaker implant marked the beginning of a new era, leading to the development of increasingly advanced devices (pacemakers, defibrillators and resynchronizers) that now make it possible to prolong life for many patients for whom rhythm disorders were once a death sentence.
- How do these patients perceive diagnosis of the disease and implantation of a cardiac rhythm management device?
- How do they perceive daily life after the operation?
In order to better understand these patients, a qualitative study was performed by the IPSOS institute1 on behalf of Sorin Group (MIL:SRN)on the experience of implanted patients.
Patients agreed to report their experience, from diagnosis of their disease to "life after implantation", relating their emotions, fears and hopes to the survey takers. They explained how this implanted device has impacted their daily life.
Several themes emerge from these thorough interviews:
The tangible presence of death: patients are very aware of the severity of their disease and the risks associated to their heart condition and they are grateful to their physician. While this keen awareness of their fragility can sometimes produce anxiety, it motivates the majority of them to live life to the fullest and to enjoy the regained vitality offered by the technology:
- "I feel like I have a second chance."
This regained vitality is based on trust in the technology. The implant is there to make up for a failing heart:
- "If I have an implant, it´s precisely to keep from dying in a situation like that!"
- "I tell myself that if there is a problem, it will take care of it!"
The role of the relationship with the cardiac rhythm management physician is essential: adviser, confidant and expert, the physician is there to guide them and reassure them in day–to–day and special situations: What should I eat? How will I manage stress at work? Is it OK to have sex? What sports can I do? Can my heart handle the emotion of my son´s marriage? The rhythm specialist is there to listen, identify the real and false risks of all of these situations, which are sometimes worrisome for the recently implanted patient, in order to accompany patients in "their return to life." Implanted patients, who are very attached to regular visits with their rhythm specialist, generally do not intend to have them at greater intervals, even if they had the possibility of using a remote monitoring device.
While the trust relationship with the physician contributes to accelerating the patient´s recovery, relationships with close friends and especially family can become difficult. Indeed, the family is often much more worried than the patients themselves, and places pressure on the patients to take care of themselves, in particular by asking them to reduce their activity and watch their diet. These anxiety–inducing requests from the family are often hard on the patients, who sometimes feel trapped in an unnecessarily constrained situation, ultimately creating tension in their most important personal relationships.
The full analysis of these interviews is available upon request by calling 01 49 12 03 40. The study will be presented in its entirety at Cardiostim, as part of the Jacques Mugica Special Conference on Friday, 20 June 2008, at 2 pm (Room 1.3 "“ Mediterranean Level).
About the Sorin Group
The Sorin Group (Bloomberg: SRN.IM; Reuters: SORN.MI), a world leader in the development of medical technologies for cardiac surgery, offers innovative therapies for cardiac rhythm dysfunctions, interventional cardiology and the treatment of chronic kidney diseases. The Sorin Group includes these brands: Dideco, CarboMedics, COBE Cardiovascular, Stöckert, Mitroflow, ELA Medical, Sorin Biomedica, Bellco and Bellco–Soludia. At the Sorin Group 4,500 employees work to serve over 5,000 public and private treatment centers in more than 80 countries throughout the world.
1 A company specializing in survey–based market research