The Journal of cardiovascular nursing
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A limited number of studies have examined the interaction between gender and age with regard to extent of prehospital delay. Our aim was to examine gender and age differences associated with prehospital delay in Chinese patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). ⋯ Male elderly patients (aged ≥65 years) and women (aged ≤64 and ≥75 years) with STEMI were more likely to delay seeking timely medical care. These gender and age differences were explained by different education, stable income, medical insurance, typical chest pain, and cognition toward heart diseases.
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Patients with heart failure (HF) often worry about resuming sexual activity and may need information. Nurses have a role in helping patients to live with the consequences of HF and can be expected to discuss patients' sexual concerns. ⋯ Cardiac nurses in Germany rarely practice sexual counseling. It is a phenomenon that is silent. Education and skill-based training might hold potential to "break the silence."
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In patients with hypertension, psychosocial factors, such as depressive symptoms and anxiety, are associated with reduced quality of life and triple the risk of nonadherence with medical treatment regimens. Thus, screening tests are crucial to identify patients who may require further assessment and treatment. ⋯ This study supported the reliability and validity of the MASQ-SF-C, indicating that it can be used for assessing depressive symptoms and anxiety concurrently in Chinese-speaking patients with hypertension.
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The course of incident delirium and subsyndromal delirium (SSD) after cardiac surgery is not well studied. ⋯ Delirium and SSD after CABG are common. Greater number and severity of risk factors for delirium may predict increasingly poor outcomes, with the dose-response relationship between risk factors and outcomes for SSD intermediate between that for no symptoms and full delirium. Intervention trials are indicated, particularly for patients with a greater number and severity of predisposing and precipitating risk factors.