The minimally invasive treatment of valvular heart disease has been associated with positive patient outcomes and shorter hospital stays (Cao et al., 2013). The readmission rate of patients who underwent this type of treatment is lower compared to the rate of patients who had conventional treatment. However, it is rather unclear whether the new approach can be effective with older patients (Gilmanov et al., 2013). The proposed study will focus on the effectiveness of the minimally invasive treatment of valvular heart disease.
Mixed method research design will be used. The sample size will be considerable (approximately 500 patients). The patients’ age will be the dependent variable. No other variables will be taken into account. The quantitative data will include the duration of hospital stay, readmission rate, and major patient outcomes. The participants will be divided into experimental and control group. The qualitative data collection tools to be employed will be brief surveys. At the end of their hospitals stay, the participants in the experimental group will be asked to complete brief surveys (nurses will help patients do this if necessary). Patients’ attitudes towards the treatment with the focus on its outcomes will be analyzed.
References
Cao, C., Gupta, S., Chandrakumar, D., Nienaber, T. A., Indraratna, P., Ang, S.C., … Yan, T. D. (2013). A meta-analysis of minimally invasive versus conventional mitral valve repair for patients with degenerative mitral disease. Annals of Cardiothoracic Surgery, 2(6), 693-703.
Gilmanov, D., Bevilacqua, S., Murzi, M., Cerillo, A. G., Gasbarri, T., Kallushi, E., … Glauber, M. (2013). Minimally invasive and conventional aortic valve replacement: A propensity score analysis. The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, 96(3), 837-843.