Quality of life in adults with repaired tetralogy of Fallot

Abstract

Introduction: Observations of patients after repair of tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) indicate good correction results and long-term survival. Few papers have been published in which the quality of life (QoL) of this population has been assessed. Aim: To evaluate QoL in adults with repaired ToF. Material and methods: We included 39 patients with repaired ToF and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. Information recorded included echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance, cardiopulmonary exercise test, and self-reported health-related QoL questionnaire (SF-36). Results: The perceived physical and mental domains of health were signi cantly poorer in ToF patients than in controls. A positive correlation between VO2 peak and physical domains was observed: (VO2 peak vs. physical domains (r = 0.6, p = 0.001), general health (r = 0.36, p = 0.03), and physical complex status (r = 0.51, p = 0.001). VO2 peak % correlated with physical functioning (r = 0.43, p = 0.007), general health (r = 0.39, p = 0.015) and physical complex status (r = 0.49, p = 0.002). Right ventricle ejection fraction, determined with cardiac magnetic resonance, positively correlated with role physical (r = 0.38, p = 0.04). In echocardiography, pressure half time was posi- tively correlated with physical functioning (r = 0.48, p = 0.004) and role physical (r = 0.4, p = 0.02). Conclusions: The QoL in adults after repair of ToF and healthy control subjects was compared directly. The self-perceived physical and mental domains of health were significantly poorer in ToF patients than in controls. Strong associations were found between objective exercise capacity and physical aspects of quality of life. Complex assessment and quality of life instruments should be used together to obtain an accurate view of health status of patients with repaired ToF.