Table 2.
Development of patient HRQOL over time and by distance to death
| Quality of life | Heart function | Status of assistance | |||||||
| EQ-5DIndex | Five EQ-5D dimensions | ||||||||
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) | (7) | (8) | (9) | |
| EQ-5DIndex | Mobility | Looking after myself | Doing usual activities | Having pain or discomfort | Feeling worried, sad or unhappy | NYHA score | CCS score | Status of assistance | |
| Point estimate | Odds ratios from the ordered logistic regression model | ||||||||
| Last follow-up before death | −0.495*** | 85.56*** | 210.2*** | 79.70** | 23.66*** | 44.06*** | 4.653 | 1.258 | 189.7*** |
| Second last follow-up before death | −0.305*** | 14.40** | 26.95*** | 7.132* | 16.94*** | 15.65*** | 2.042 | 2.203 | 18.08* |
| Third from last follow-up before death | −0.221*** | 11.96 | 23.42*** | 6.753 | 2.672 | 3.567 | 5.171** | 1.477 | 58.83*** |
| Fourth from last follow-up before death | −0.204*** | 8.480* | 10.11** | 6.338 | 3.433 | 8.167** | 1.807 | 1.911 | 22.58*** |
| Fifth from last follow-up before death | −0.139** | 5.282 | 12.73** | 8.027 | 1.384 | 2.331 | 1.169 | 1.247 | 21.37* |
| Sixth from last follow-up before death | −0.0983* | 2.033 | 3.203 | 2.902 | 2.918 | 3.273 | 1.464 | 0.996 | 7.387 |
| Overall trend | −0.00143 | 1.083*** | 1.040 | 0.963 | 1.042*** | 0.979 | 1.053*** | 1.024 | 1.060* |
| Month 1 post-discharge | −0.0460** | 2.878*** | 2.358* | 2.273** | 1.391 | 1.487 | 1.939** | 1.197 | 2.652* |
| Constant | 0.789*** | ||||||||
| N | 2294 | 2328 | 2332 | 2330 | 2330 | 2317 | 2252 | 2254 | 1980 |
* p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001
The EQ-5DIndex is a continuous variable between 0 and 1 (0 = worst state, 1 = best state). The 5 EQ-5D dimensions as shown in Model (2) to model (6) are order categorical variables (1 = no problems, 2 = some problems, 3 = extreme problems). Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) Angina Grading Scale is an order categorical variable between 1 (angina only during strenuous or prolonged physical activity) and 4 (inability to perform any activity without angina). New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Classification is an order categorical variable between 1 (cardiac disease, but no symptoms and no limitation in ordinary physical activity) and 4 (severe limitations, experiences symptoms even while at rest). The current state of assistance is an order categorical variable with 1 (no external help or intra-familial help only), 2 (assisted living and/or home care services) and 3 (short or long-term care or temporal hospitalization)