Erratum

"Erratum." Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy, 11(10), pp. 1441–1442

This article refers to:

Update on psychological functioning in adults with congenital heart disease: a systematic review

Key issues

• • The advancement in cardiology and cardiac surgery has led to an increase in the population of adults with congenital heart disease and, therefore, it is particularly important to investigate their psychological and possible predictors of psychological distress/psychopathology.

• • Studies from The Netherlands report the population of adults with CHD to be similar or better functioning than the healthy reference population.

• • These results could indicate that these patients have a stronger sense of coherence than their healthy counterparts, acquired through constantly having to deal with difficulties related to their cardiac condition.

• • It is possible that denial and high achievement motivation could be influencing self-report data.

• • When it comes to anxiety and depression, studies indicate that prevalence is similar to acquired cardiac populations, which could be the best comparison available.

• • When in-depth psychological and psychiatric interviews were conducted in this population, a considerable amount of patients who were assumed to be well adjusted experienced psychological and psychiatric difficulties and undertreatment also occurred.

• • Proxy reports tend to record more distress than the patients themselves, even though the differences were not so elevated. The predictors of psychological distress according to the family and friends of the patients are early operations with hospitalizations.

• • The vast majority of the studies indicate that cardiac diagnosis and medical variables are not predictors of psychological distress in this population, even though there are few studies that suggest a link with cardiac diagnosis. In the studies present in the literature of adults with CHD, a worse psychological functioning was not related to the following:

  • – Age of the first surgical intervention;

  • – Postoperative course;

  • – Functional status;

  • – Physical fitness;

  • – Presence of residual symptoms, and so on.

• The variables that result as being predictors of psychological distress reported by this population are the following:

  • – Loneliness;

  • – Fear of negative evaluation;

  • – Imposed limits;

  • – Low capacity for physical exercise;

  • – Perceived health status.

• Since there are strong indications that psychological problems are undertreated in this population, it is important to consider using thefour A’s to detect and manage psychosocial issues: ask, advise, assist and arrange referral.

The authors and editors of Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy would like to sincerely apologise for any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused.