[in Japanese]

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The purpose of this study was to clarify the life experience of the patient who lives with Ventricular Assist Device (VAD), waiting for heart transplantation. Participants for the study included six male patients who were living with VAD, and were interviewed on their experiences from living with VAD as a bridge to heart transplantation. The obtained data was analyzed in phenomenological approach. One of the participants was using external type VAD, and the other five were using the implanting type VAD. Average number of days for VAD use was over 1000 days on those participants. The participants had been weighing the positive and negative sides of living with VAD, and were anguished deciding either "VAD" or "heart transplant" should be chosen. Several participants were not necessarily willing to receive a heart transplant immediately. Furthermore, all the participants had been looking at their own "strength" ; strong points and positive side of living with VAD, and their "strength" was vitality for their lives. Their focus on Qualities of Life (QOL) had been changing as their living situation changed, and it was giving the participants new conflicts and subjects for their lives; Their focus on QOL for pre-VAD-operative phase was to "live long", post-VAD-operative phase was to "improve the quality of daily life", and future consideration phase was to "improve the quality of life". This study indicates that understanding in the changing focus of QOL of patients with VAD plays an important role in effectively interacting with patients.

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Objective:This research was to clarify the structure of the will of recovery in the patients who underwent heart surgery and to suggest the nursing help needed to support their recovery will.
Methods :A participant-observation and a semi-structure interview were conducted targeting for nine patients who underwent heart surgery. The analysis was performed using a Grounded Theory Approach as a reference.
Results:It was clarified that there was a thought that the patients "Want to live true to themselves" in the center of the structure of the will of recovery in the patients who underwent heart surgery. This was a part of the process to develop their "Consciousness to reassess their daily lives in order to sustain the health that they regained" through their "Self-motivation for the purpose of recovery" based on a "Challenge to live from the serious stage." It also was clarified that their recovery will was reinforced by being supported by "Family that can take good care of each other" and "Medical staff are doing the best for patients." Furthermore, the patients enhanced their recovery will by themselves through "Self-motivation for the purpose of recovery."
Conclusion:In order to promote patients' self-motivation for the purpose of recovery, it was suggested that nurses provide patients with the information with which patients can predict and imagine themselves after surgery, that nurses provide the support to eliminate patients' physical suffering and that nurses attend to the patients to put them at ease.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

View full abstract