Psychological assessment of patients on the heart transplant waiting list: A single center experience

Abstract Objective To analyze the data of the psychological assessment, focusing attention on the quality of life and the psychological status of patients who are listed for heart transplant. Methods All heart failure patients listed for heart transplant at the Cardiac Surgery Unit of Bari University, Italy, were evaluated from September to November 2023, by administering the Symptom Checklist‐90‐R (SCL‐90‐R) and the Short Form Health Survey 36 (SF‐36). Results Overall, 27 patients were studied. Mean age was 60 years, 88% were males. One third of the patients showed a clinically significant overall mental distress. The symptoms leading to domains such as somatization (55.55%), anxiety (40.74%) and depression (33.33%) were frequently observed. The majority of the population studied (96.30%) showed low levels of perceived physical health status, while 59,62% of them presented levels of perceived physical health status below normal ranges. Conclusions Heart transplant candidates show elements of overall mental distress and low quality of life related to physical health status.