Shoulder problems and related conditions in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators

Abstract

Aim: Shoulder pain and disability is a complication that can be seen frequently after implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)implantation. The aims of this study were to determine the causes of shoulder problems and related factors in patients with ICDimplantation and to investigate the effects of shoulder problems on quality of life and psychological status.Material and Methods: A total of ninety-four consecutive patients (average age 59.38±10.75 years) who admitted to ICD followup clinic were included in the study. Patients who had shoulder problems were referred to our physical therapy and rehabilitationoutpatient clinic for further evaluation. The Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), Short Form-36 (SF-36) and The HospitalAnxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used as the clinical assessment scales.Results: Thirty-nine (41.5%) patients had shoulder complaints. The patients were divided into two groups according to presence ofshoulder problem. The statistical analysis revealed no significant differences between the groups in terms of the socio-demographicand clinical characteristics. None of these characteristics was demonstrated as a risk factor for the development of shoulderproblem (p>0.05). There were significantly lower SF-36 subgroup scores and higher HADS depression and anxiety scores in patientswith shoulder complaints. The SPADI scores also showed significant correlations with shoulder pain VAS score, several subgroupsof SF-36 and HADS scores (p