Abstract
BACKGROUND: Aortic dissection (AD) is a rare but dangerous cardiovascular condition, and research on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of postoperative patients after discharge is limited. This study aimed to classify patterns of HRQOL among this population, and to examine the psychological and social factors associated with different HRQOL categories based on the common sense model of self-regulation and the social-cognitive processing model. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two tertiary general hospitals in Wuhan from January 2022 to August 2022. HRQOL was assessed via the validated Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System 29-item Profile. Characteristic categories of HRQOL were identified through exploratory latent profile analysis. Univariate analysis and multinominal logistic regression were employed to explore the factors associated with HRQOL. RESULTS: Among the 379 patients, the mean health utility was 0.36 ± 0.17. A total of 35.4% and 32.5% of the patients had obvious anxiety and depression, respectively. The patients were divided into three HRQOL subgroups: "high psychological distress-pain group" (29.0%), "mild functional impairment-anxiety group" (49.3%), and "mild functional impairment-adaptation group" (21.6%). Significant factors associated with HRQOL included age, AD type, illness cognitive representation, fear of disease progression, daily life management and exercise (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The self-reported health status of postoperative AD patients is concerning. HRQOL within this population displays significant heterogeneity, and stratified care tailored to each group is recommended. Interventions targeting cognitive representations and fear reduction may enhance HRQOL. Continuous care to facilitate self-management behaviors is essential for improving health outcomes for postoperative AD patients. These findings require further longitudinal and interventional studies to confirm.