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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Christiane Kugler, Sadhbh Byrne, Hannah Spielmann, Fabian Richter, Sandra Semmig‐Könze, Christine Spitz‐Koeberich, Wolfgang Albert, Katharina Tigges‐Limmer
Format: Artículo Open Access
Published: Wiley 2026
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Online Access:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ctr.70556
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Table of Contents:
  • Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Patients on Ventricular Assist Device Support: Something to Worry About? Christiane Kugler Sadhbh Byrne Hannah Spielmann Fabian Richter Sandra Semmig‐Könze Christine Spitz‐Koeberich Wolfgang Albert Katharina Tigges‐Limmer Clinical Transplantation ABSTRACT Background Psychosocial outcome in ventricular assist device (VAD) patients continues to merit evaluation including posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Methods A cross‐sectional multicenter study collected data from 265 VAD patients, mean age was 59 ± 11yrs, 88% ( N = 234) were male. Standardized PRO measures were applied; PTSS was assessed with the Breslau scale, supplemented by open‐ended questions on “any traumatizing life events”. Results The weighted mean prevalence for patients reporting “any traumatizing event” was 43.0% (95% CI 37.0–49.2); prevalence for PTSS was 3.8% (95% CI 1.82–6.83). Traumatizing events were categorized into non‐heart‐related versus heart‐related (both n = 57; 50%); heart surgery ( n = 16) was most prominent. Oral intake of prescribed psychotropics (12.5%) was significantly higher in those with non‐heart‐related events (28.1% vs. 7.0%; p = 0.006). Female gender was associated with an OR of 1.703 (95%CI: 1.217–2.382; p = 0.002) for HADS depression and oral psychotropics (OR 6.623, 95%CI: 2.009–21.830; p = 0.002). HRQoL was lower for those on psychotropics ( p = 0.001). Patients who had experienced a trauma showed no differences in PTSS ( p = 0.771), anxiety ( p = 0.774), depression ( p = 0.565), and HRQoL ( p = 0.113). Conclusion A substantial proportion of VAD patients may have experienced traumatizing events; heart surgery was reported most prominently, may diminish the success of implantation, lead to PTSS, and warrants routine clinical screening of patients following VAD implantation. 10.1111/ctr.70556 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/