Ciągłość opieki kardiologicznej u pacjentów po implantacji urządzenia do elektroterapii serca

Introduction . Cardiac care continuum is an important factor affecting the treatment of patients after implantation of cardiac support devices. The aim of this paper was to assess the factors influencing compliance among 179 (67 women / 112 men, aged 76.7 ± 8.6 years) randomly selected patients with implanted electrotherapy devices. Material and methods . This was a retrospective and open study. Required data were obtained from patients’ medical history and questionnaires completed during follow-up visits and from patients’ medical records. R esults . It was shown that men were more likely to attend follow-up visits than women (p = 0.002), residents of large towns (over 100.000 population) more likely than residents of smaller towns (p = 0.02), patients under 65 years of age (p u003c 0.05) more likely than older patients and self-sufficient patients more likely than those needing others’ assistance (p u003c 0.05). Patients living closer to the clinic (distance up to 50 km) and regularly taking medicines were not more compliant with their scheduled cardiology visits. Conclusions . There are some factors associated with insufficient cooperation in the continuity of cardiac care in patients after implantation of cardiac support devices. Individual approach to patients who are non-compliant may be helpful in changing individual behaviors, which will result in treatment compliance.