Impact of Identification and Treatment of Depression in Heart Transplant Patients

Abstract

Background. The effects of clinical depression after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) are relatively unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of depression on outcomes after OHT. Methods. We performed a single center retrospective review of 102 consecutive patients who underwent OHT at Northwestern Memorial Hospital from June 2005 to October 2009. The diagnosis of depression was obtained from attending physician documentation. The primary endpoints were all-cause mortality (ACM), hospitalizations, and rejection. Results. Of 102 OHT patients, 26 (26%) had depression. Depressed patients were similar in age to nondepressed patients (57.6 years versus 56.9, P = 0.79). There was no statistical difference in survival between groups at 5 years after OHT (P = 0.94). All-cause hospitalizations were higher in depressed versus nondepressed patients (4.3 versus 2.6 hospitalizations P = 0.05). There were no significant differences in hospitalizations between the two groups for the following complications: cardiac (heart failure, edema, arrhythmias, and acute rejection) and infections. There was no significant difference in episodes of 2R and 3R rejection. Conclusion. Early identification and treatment of depression in OHT patients result in outcomes similar to nondepressed patients.

Depressive symptoms and early mortality following lung transplantation: A pilot study

“…The PHQ‐9 is a brief measure of depressive symptoms that has been validated for the assessment of clinical depression and as a screening measure for elevated depression. The PHQ‐9 has been used extensively among medical populations, including transplant patients Centers for Epidemiologic Study of Depression (CESD) .…”

Pre-transplant depression as a predictor of adherence and morbidities after orthotopic heart transplantation

“…Several studies reported no association between psychosocial factors and mortality [9–12], while others have found that several psychiatric risk factors and social/demographic characteristics correlated with post-transplant morbidity [8]. As a result, the role of psychosocial factors on heart transplant outcomes requires further evaluation [13].…”

Evaluación de factores psiquiátricos y psicosociales en una cohorte de receptores de trasplante cardiaco: estudio de seguimiento a 12meses

“…La mayoría de estudios realizados hasta la fecha, refieren una morbilidad psiquiátrica elevada durante todo el proceso de TC, principalmente a expensas de trastornos depresivos y de ansiedad. Sin embargo, la influencia de las variables psiquiátricas en los resultados del TC no está claro y sólo un número limitado de estudios han examinado el papel pronóstico que ejercen, obteniendo resultados dispares (Zipfel et al, 2002;Owen et al, 2006;Havik et al, 2007;Okwuosa et al, 2014).…”