Author(s)

Lidia Stella Teixeira de Meneses¹, Francisca Elisangela Teixeira Lima², Sherida Karanini Paz de Oliveira¹, Francisca Jane Gomes Oliveira¹, Maira di Ciero Miranda Vieira², Paulo Cesar Almeida³, Viviane Martins da Silva²

¹Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil.
²Department of Nursing, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil.
³State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil.

The objective was to evaluate the practice of self-care of patients with mechanical heart valve prosthesis. A descriptive, cross-sectional study developed in two outpatient valvopathies of teaching hospitals of Fortaleza/CE, from October 2013 to January 2014. The sample consisted of 127 patients with mechanical heart valve prosthesis. It was held an interview using instrument based on the Theory of Orem’s Self-Care and Brazilian Guidelines for Valvular Heart Diseases. The data were presented in tables and charts. Results: Universal self-care practices of larger adhesion: body hygiene (97.6% washed-haired, daily-bath 92.1%); oral hygiene (brushing teeth before sleeping, 87.4%); fluid intake (drinking-water 95.2%); food intake (salt intake ≤ 2 g/day, 92.1%, fruit and vegetable consumption 79.5%); intestinal eliminations (without blood or mucus—96%, non-parasitic 94.4%); urinary elimination (no blood nor pus-96.8%, urination 4 to 6 times a day, 96%). As self-care developmental requirements predominated: never used illegal drugs, tobacco, alcohol, or stopped at the discovery of the disease (70%). As self-care health deviation requirements we have: making use of certain medication at the right dose (95.2%); attending medical appointments (cardiologist—92.1%; nursing—84.2%); INR control (identifies signs of bleeding— 85.8%). We conclude that patients did not perform all recommended self-care practices, being necessary to establish strategies to reduce the self-care deficit.

Nursing, Self-Care, Heart Valve

de Meneses, L. , Lima, F. , de Oliveira, S. , Oliveira, F. , di Ciero Miranda Vieira, M. , Almeida, P. and da Silva, V. (2015) Self-Care Practice of Patients with Mechanical Heart Valve Prosthesis Accompanied in Nursing Consultation. Health, 7, 1387-1395. doi: 10.4236/health.2015.710153.