Caregiver Stress Is Improved and Sustained Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the impact of symptomatic aortic stenosis and subsequent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) on stress and health for the caregiver. In this prospective cohort study, we measured caregiver stress before and after TAVR. METHODS: We interviewed 34 primary caregivers for patients undergoing outpatient TAVR at an academic institution. Caregiver stress was measured using the Kingston Caregiver Stress Scale (KCSS) and the Caregiver Self-Assessment Questionnaire (CSAQ) before TAVR and at one and six months after. Mean scores were compared pre- and post-TAVR using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS: There was significant improvement in KCSS caregiver stress at one month that was sustained at six months post-TAVR (mean change −1.91 ± 2.50 for six months, p-value 0.01). This was primarily driven by improvement in caregiving issues rather than family or financial issues. There was also significant improvement in CSAQ self-assessed health/illness at one and six months (mean change −2.78 ± 4.01 for six months, p-value 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support further investigation of caregiver outcomes in shared decision making before TAVR.