Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
1997-5-6
pubmed:abstractText
Because of the limitations resulting from the severity of heart failure, patients in the waiting list for cardiac transplantation often show a worsening in their social life. They usually present with psychological problems caused by symptoms, medical or surgical therapies and consequences on their own work. We have devised and utilized an experimental psychodiagnostic protocol to study the psychological characteristics of a sample of patients with heart failure (NYHA functional class III and IV) candidate to heart transplantation. Our study was particularly aimed at investigating the quality of life and the psychological mechanisms of adaptation. Findings show a strong attempt of denying the discomfort deriving from the disease and the expectation for transplant. Patients seem to have an adequate reaction to the illness and, otherwise, they feel anxiety and trouble that make very fragile their psychological adaptation. This behaviour is probably correlated with symptoms and the clinical history of heart failure, and does not match with a visible state of well-being that can be detected with a superficial analysis. Nevertheless patients have a good availability in receiving a psychological support from the whole medical staff (physicians, nurses): this suggests that the benefits deriving from a contemporary medical and psychological therapy are able to prevent the appearance of clear psychiatric symptoms. Additional studies involving larger samples of selected populations are needed to confirm the results of the present investigation.
pubmed:language
ita
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Feb
pubmed:issn
0393-1978
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
42
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
195-9
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1997
pubmed:articleTitle
[The psychological evaluation of patients with severe heart failure awaiting a heart transplant].
pubmed:affiliation
Departimento Scienze Psichiatriche e Medicina Psicologica, Università degli Studi, La Sapienza, Roma.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, English Abstract