Mechanical Support Measures of Adjustment and QOL

It is estimated that 5.1 million U.S. adults have heart failure, with an incidence of 825,000 new cases annually. The prevalence of heart failure is expected to increase by 46% from 2012 to 2030. Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) has been developed as a bridge to heart transplantation and as permanent support (i.e., destination therapy). MCS devices help the heart pump blood to the body. Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), a type of MCS, support the left heart. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a very important outcome that advanced heart failure patients care about when making health care decisions, including when considering surgical treatment options, such as heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support. Currently available HRQOL questionnaires do not assess the unique burdens of MCS, such as changing power sources and driveline exit site dressings; safety precautions (e.g., no immersion in water, need for an MCS-trained caregiver); troubleshooting VAD alarms; and MCS-specific complications, often associated with frequent hospitalizations. Since these questionnaires do not focus on issues of concern to MCS patients, they lack sensitivity and precision to measure the potentially wide-ranging impact of MCS on HRQOL. Guided by the investigators empirically supported MCS A-QOL conceptual model, the investigators will use state-of-the-science psychometric measurement methods to create "item banks" (sets of items that comprise carefully calibrated questions which define and quantify a common theme) from the investigators existing MCS A-QOL item pools (library of relevant items). Using calibrated item banks, the investigators will develop computer adaptive tests (CATs) and fixed-length short forms to reduce respondent burden and enhance measurement precision. The investigators will assess reliability, validity, responsiveness to change, and clinically important differences of MCS A-QOL measures.