A PROSPECTIVE PATIENT QUALITY OF LIFE ASSESSMENT IN AORTIC SURGERY

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  THORACIC AORTIC ANEURYSM- A HEALTH ECONOMIC EVALUATION AND QUALITY OF LIFE ASSESSMENT: A PROSPECTIVE PATIENT QUALITY OF LIFE ASSESSMENT

• IRAS ID

  138112

• Contact name

  Matthew Shaw

• Contact email

  matthew.shaw@lhch.nhs.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital

• Research summary

  There is a general consensus among the aortic surgeons at Liverpool Heart & Chest Hospital that asymptomatic patients may harbour a significant health burden arising from becoming aware that they have an aneurysm (enlargement) of the aorta that can kill at any given point in time. This information, given to patients on the day of consultation with members of the aortic team, is bound to impact the overall patients’ health related quality of life (HRQoL) and psychological well-being.
  Regardless of whether patients are aware that surgery will improve their chances of survival, their functional status is likely to initially deteriorate in relation to the prospect of surgical intervention, a situation which might normalize at some point after surgery. The quality of life trajectories for both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients have yet to be researched, particularly in patients with thoracic(chest) aortic aneurysms. In addition, there is no evidence that surgical interventions will improve HRQoL.
  There is a need to understand the psychological burden imposed upon patients’ once they become aware of their diagnosis of aortic aneurysm and establish how that has an impact on their HRQoL and explore the applicability of existing health-related quality of life tools in this type of surgery and their limitations. In view of the uncertainty, we plan to undertake an exploratory study to demonstrate the applicability of existing HRQoL tools in determining the health burden aortic aneurysm imposes on patients.

• REC name

  West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  13/WM/0456

• Date of REC Opinion

  17 Dec 2013

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion