# The Life Experience of Patients after the Implantation of Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

## TL;DR

This study explores how patients adjust to life after receiving cardiovascular implantable electronic devices, focusing on their physical, psychological, and social experiences.

## Contribution

The paper provides a qualitative meta-synthesis of patient experiences with CIEDs, highlighting unmet needs and offering insights for healthcare improvement.

## Key findings

- Patients experience mixed feelings about the device becoming part of their body and its impact on their identity.
- Patients desire support systems that balance independence with care, but often face mismatches in information and social support.
- Self-coping strategies and improved remote monitoring are essential for enhancing patients' quality of life after CIED implantation.

## Abstract

Cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIED) are
more and more widely used in the clinical treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
However, CIED implantation may also result in a variety of physical,
psychological, and social problems among patients. To help patients adapt to life
after CIED implantation, it is important to know patients’ needs from their
perspectives. Explore the
needs of CIED patients from their perspectives to guide healthcare providers to
improve their quality of life.

PubMed, Web of
Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, CNKI, the VIP database, the Wanfang
database, and the China Biomedical Literature database were searched for
qualitative studies on the experience of patients with CIED dating from January
2000 to August 2022. The quality of each article was evaluated according to the
2016 edition of the Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence-Based Health Care Center Qualitative Research
Quality Evaluation Criteria and an integrative meta-synthesis was undertaken.

A total of 18 documents were included, and 111 categories were
extracted. Analysis of the data resulted in the identification of 3 themes and 12
subthemes. The first theme, Equipment Symbiosis, included “Mixed feelings about
the device as part of the body”, “Mixed feelings about the patient’s role”,
and “Mixed feelings about an electrical stimulus”. The second theme, External
Support, included “Husband and wife relationship damaged”, “Eager to
participate, unwilling to be overprotected”, “Want to return to work but are
forced to leave”, and “Information supply and demand mismatch”. The third
theme, Self-coping, included “How to face a doctor”, “How to deal with
activity restrictions”, “How to face yourself”, “How to face the future”,
and “How to face death”.

Healthcare providers need to
accelerate technological innovation and clinical adoption of CIED. Additionally,
healthcare providers need to establish a diverse support system led by medical
staff, with family members, peers, and society working together, and improve
CIEDs remote monitoring to help patients improve their quality of life.