Quality of life of family caregivers of patients with a left ventricular assist device in Japan

•Patients' LVAD implantation improved their caregivers' mental QoL.•Caregiver's QoL at 3 and 6 months was lower than that of the general population.•Independent risk factors associated with caregiver's QoL were identified.•An improvement in support systems for caregivers of LVAD patients is necessary. The role of caregivers is important for the successful support of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) patients. We aimed to (1) evaluate quality of life (QoL) of caregivers pre-and post-LVAD implant and (2) identify factors associated with caregivers’ QoL. The caregivers’ QoL was assessed with the Short Form-8 before implant, at 3 and 6 months after LVAD implantation. The physical and mental component summary (PCS and MCS) scores were calculated. Caregiver burden was evaluated using the 8-item Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview. Data were collected from LVAD patients as bridge-to-transplant and their family caregivers in Japan. No significant changes were found in caregivers’ PCS scores during the follow-up (before 52.7±7.1; at 3 months 49.7±6.5, and at 6 months 50.7±6.4, n=20). Compared with the scores before implant (38.9±9.3), the caregivers’ MCS scores improved after LVAD implantation at 3 months (44.2±7.7; p=0.03) and at 6 months (46.2±7.4, p=0.003), but they were still lower than those of the Japanese general population (p