Pacemakers (PM) have added new technologies in recent years, offering safety and reducing
morbidity and mortality. However, in some cases, the quality of life (QoL) does not follow this
result. Objective: To analyze the QoL of patients undergoing pacemaker implantation in the
pre- and postoperative period at the Palmas General Hospital, Tocantins, Brazil. Methods:
Quantitative, descriptive and prospective study, composed of 40 individuals undergoing PM
implantation at the Palmas General Hospital. Three instruments were used for data collection:
a clinical-sociodemographic questionnaire and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Health
Survey (SF-36) and the Assessment of QUAlity of life and RELated events (AQUAREL)
quality of life questionnaires (before and after implantation). The Shapiro-Wilk (normality) and
Wilcoxon tests were applied to compare QoL in the pre- and post-PM implantation, and the
Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests to assess the association between variables, with a
significance level of 5%. The research was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the
Foundation School of Public Health of Palmas under number 3,529,901. Results: The mean
age was 69.8 ± 12.5 years; 52.5% were female; 60% knew how to read and write; 85% were
retired and 10% lived alone. The period between collections was 83±20.3 days; the reason for
implantation was sinus node disease in 25% of cases, atrioventricular block in 62.5% and others
in 12.5%); 30% of patients were chagasic and 70% non-chagasic; 85% had dizziness, 82.5%
tiredness, 52% palpitations and 32.5% syncopes; 90% received dual chamber and 10% single
chamber PM, both conventional. The means of the SF-36 QoL domains before and after
implantation, respectively, were: functional capacity 32.2±23 and 67.2±18.4; limitation due to
physical aspects 12.5±21.1 and 76.8±29.6; pain 44.8±18.9 and 69.3±15.8; general health status
47.7±15.3 and 69.1±10; vitality 51.1±23 and 77.1±13.5; social aspects 61.5±24.7 and 79±19.6;
emotional aspects 19.1±33.6 and 82.4±29.2; and mental health 64.1±18 and 75.4±15. The
means of the AQUAREL domains were: chest discomfort 47.4±23.5 and 88.8±10.2;
arrhythmias 57±14.9 and 95.1±5.8; and dyspnea on exercise 45.2±20.4 and 88.1±12.1. It was
found that there was a significant difference between pre- and post-implantation for all QoL
domains, in both instruments. In the post-implantation of PM, ventricular monochamber
programming mode (VVI), atrial fibrillation, age over 70 years and illiteracy were associated with a positive effect on mental health (SF-36). Occupation and age ≤ 70 years were associated
with a better response in the chest discomfort domain (AQUAREL). Conclusions: The PM
implantation significantly improved the QoL of the evaluated patients. Schooling, occupation,
age group, stimulation mode and electrocardiographic changes effected QoL.
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