Understanding Care Partner Experiences in the First Month After Durable Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Abstract

Introduction

Durable left ventricular assist devices serve as a critical bridge to heart transplantation for patients with advanced heart failure. Yet the demands placed on care partners (CPs) are often underestimated, and their well-being in supporting postimplant recovery is frequently overlooked.

Methods/Approach

This qualitative single-site study explored the struggles and support needs of 13 CPs who participated in audio-recorded interviews following device placement.

Findings

Data analysis, using inductive content analysis, revealed 6 major themes: feeling unprepared, being hypervigilant, feeling overwhelmed, the vanishing CP, lacking self-care, and needing connection with other CPs. Findings revealed that CPs often felt overlooked by healthcare teams, contributing to emotional distress and isolation, while inadequate education on perioperative complications and minimal peer support reinforced their sense of being unprepared.

Conclusion

These results underscored the integral role that CP well-being played in sustaining successful device management and ensuring patients remained eligible for heart transplantation. Psychosocial services, peer support, and structured educational programs may help mitigate the strain experienced by CPs and improve transplantation outcomes. Embedding CP needs into the transplant pathway, beginning at implantation, was essential to preventing burnout, maintaining candidacy, and improving overall posttransplant success. Refinements in CP-centered interventions may help reduce hospital readmissions, enhance device adherence, and support emotional resilience. By prioritizing CP support within advanced heart failure management, transplant programs can optimize both patient and CP well-being and foster positive outcomes. Such focus ensures bridging to transplantation and hope for families.