Living with a pacemaker: patient-reported outcome of a pacemaker system

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess among pacemaker patients their overall satisfaction with the pacemaker system, pain, soreness/discomfort, cosmetic results, restrictions due to impaired movement of the shoulder/arm/chest, related sleep disturbances, and concern about possible device malfunction. METHODS: The seven-item questionnaire was mailed to patients from a single center who had a pacemaker implant or replacement between 2006 and 2016. A higher score indicated worse outcome on a visual analog scale (VAS) of 0–100 mm. RESULTS: The response rate was 75.5% and 342 questionniares were analyzed. Median age of respondents was 77.6 years and 57.0% were males. In total, 65 complications requiring surgery (10 pocket corrections (2.9%), 5 in females) occurred during a median follow-up of 5.6 years.The distribution of the primary outcome had a median score of 5 while the 75th percentile was 13. Cosmetic appearance was significantly associated with reoperation (but not other variables). Overall scores for men and women were 5 vs. 6, respectively, which achieved significance (p = 0.042). Median ratings of pain, soreness/discomfort, cosmetic appearance, range of motion, sleep, and concern about device malfunction were all ≤5. Females reported worse outcomes for all questions, except for cosmetic results and concern about malfunction. CONCLUSIONS: The vast majority of patients report excellent overall satisfaction with the pacemaker system, and are not affected by pain, soreness/discomfort, or concern about device malfunction. They also reported favourable outcomes with respect to cosmetic results, shoulder movement, and sleep. However, some patients underwent a surgical correction of the pacemaker pocket.