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Long-term psychosocial outcome of adults with tetralogy of Fallot and transposition of the great arteries: a historical comparison

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 July 2013

Petra Opić
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus Medical Center-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Elisabeth M.W.J. Utens*
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus Medical Center-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Titia P.E. Ruys
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Ron T. van Domburg
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Maarten Witsenburg
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Ad J.J.C. Bogers
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Jolien W. Roos-Hesselink
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
*
Corresponding to: Dr E. M. W. J. Utens, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus Medical Center – Sophia Children's Hospital, PO Box 2060, 3000 CB Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 10 7040209; Fax: +31 10 7036803; E-mail: e.utens@erasmusmc.nl
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Abstract

Objective: To make a historical comparison on the long-term psychosocial outcome of cardiothoracic surgery during childhood. Methods: Adult patients operated for tetralogy of Fallot or transposition of the great arteries between 1980 and 1990 (recent sample) were compared with patients who underwent surgery and were investigated 10 years earlier (historical sample). In addition, atrial switch and arterial switch patients within the recent sample were compared. Psychosocial functioning was measured using standardised, validated psychological questionnaires. Results: Although the recent sample of patients overall shows a favourable quality of life, impairments were found in income, living conditions, relationships, offspring, and occupational level. Compared with the historical sample, the recent sample showed no significant improvements on psychosocial functioning, except for a better educational level. The amount of educational problems, such as learning difficulties, was still high compared with normative data. Recently operated patients with transposition of the great arteries (arterial switch) scored significantly better on the Short Form-36 vitality scale (p = 0.02) compared with historical patients with transposition of the great arteries (atrial switch). Conclusions: Despite improvements in medical treatment over the past few decades, hardly any change was found in the psychosocial outcome of the recent patient sample compared with the historical patient sample. In particular, the percentage of patients needing special education and showing learning problems remained high, whereas income was low compared with normative data.

Information

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 
Figure 0

Table 1 Overview of the included and excluded patients in the recent and historical sample.

Figure 1

Table 2 Medical and biographical characteristics of the recent and historical sample compared with normative groups (in percentages).

Figure 2

Figure 1 Biographical data show the comparison on three different biographical variables between the recently operated patients with congenital heart disease (shown in black) and a normative group (shown in grey). Living with parents = proportion of people still living with their parents, mother/father or both. Married = the proportion of people who are married. Children = the proportion of people who have one or more children. p-values were calculated by chi-square tests.

Figure 3

Figure 2 Comparison on income between the recently operated congenital heart disease group and the normative group, matched on age and gender. Shown in black is the proportion of the group that earns <€20,000, shown in grey is the proportion of the group that earns ≥€20,000.

Figure 4

Table 3 Mean scale scores of the recent sample and normative data on instruments.

Figure 5

Figure 3 Comparison between normative data, recently operated tetralogy of Fallot patients, and historically operated tetralogy of Fallot patients; shows the comparison on the Short Form-36 scale for the recent patients with tetralogy of Fallot (shown in black) and the historical patients with tetralogy of Fallot (shown in light grey) and a normative group (shown in dark grey). The Short Form-36 scales range from 0 to 100. Lower scores indicate poorer subjective health status; higher scores indicate a more favourable subjective health status. a = significant difference between the normative group and the recently operated congenital heart disease group.

Figure 6

Figure 4 Comparison between normative data, recently operated patients operated with the Mustard procedure, and patients historically operated with the Mustard procedure; shows the comparison on the Short Form-36 scale for the recent patients operated with the Mustard procedure (shown in black) and the historical patients operated with the Mustard procedure (shown in light grey) and a normative group (shown in dark grey). The Short Form-36 scales range from 0 to 100. Lower scores indicate poorer subjective health status; higher scores indicate a more favourable subjective health status. aSignificant difference between the normative group and the recently operated congenital heart disease group. bSignificant difference between the recently operated congenital heart disease group and the historically operated congenital heart disease group.