Objective: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted to determine death anxiety in patients with heart failure (HF).
Methods: The study was conducted with 150 HF patients hospitalized in the cardiology departments of two training and research hospital in Istanbul between December 2018 and May 2019. Data were collected by using the Questionnaire and Thorson Powel Death Anxiety Scale. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t test and One-way ANOVA test were used to evaluate the data.
Results: The mean age of the patients was 66.53±9.07 and 55.3% were male. 38% of the patients had diabetes and 78.3% had hypertension. 34% of the participants were NYHA stage 2 HF patients. The mean score obtained from Thorson-Powel Death Anxiety Scale was 56.80±16.55. Death anxiety in patients under 65 years, women, high school graduates, singles and under-income was high but not statistically significant (p>0.05). Death anxiety scores was significantly higher in patients of NYHA stage 4 HF, patients who did not work and patients who considered death as a worrying concept (p>0.05).
Conclusion: The patients who participated in the study experienced moderate death anxiety. Death anxiety increases in patients of NYHA classification stage 4, patients who did not work and patients who saw death as a worrying concept.

Objective: The research was planned for the purpose of evaluating the correlation between caregiving burden and psychosocial adjustment of individuals taking care of patients who had suffered Myocardial Infarction (MI).
Methods: The descriptive and cross-sectional research was conducted with 200 people who were taking care of patients receiving treatment due to the diagnosis of Myocardial Infarction (MI) in the Cardiology clinic of a university hospital between November 2015 – January 2016. Data were collected with “Introductory Information Form (IIF), Caregiving Burden Scale (CBS) and Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale-Self Report (PAIS-SR). Number and percentage distribution were used for descriptive data and correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the correlation between the variables.
Results: 72.5% of the caregivers were primary-secondary education graduates, 34% were housewives and 60% were the patient’s spouse. The caregivers’ score averages of caregiving burden scale and total and subscale score averages of PAIS-SR were found to be below the average. Evaluating the correlation between the two variables; it was found that there was correlation between all subscale score averages (vocational environment, sexual relationship, social environment, psychological distress, relationship with partner and family), except the subscale of “health care orientation” (p>0.05) and the score average of caregiving burden scale (p<0.05).
Conclusion: It was determined that individuals taking care of patients who had suffered an acute Myocardial infarction felt lower levels of distress and their psychosocial adjustment throughout the illness was moderately good. In addition, as their caregiving-related distress increases, their psychosocial (family, social, occupational circle, sexual and psychological) adjustment to illness, except their orientation to healthcare gets spoiled.

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to determine self care behaviours in heart failure patients.
Methods: The study was descriptive and cross sectional in nature and was conducted in a training and research hospital. The study population consisted of all patients with heart failure diagnosed in cardiology clinics of the hospital between December 2017 and May 2018 and 210 sample of whom were in cardiology clinics between December 2017 and May 2018. Descriptive Questionnaire Form and The European Heart Failure Self Care Behavior Scale were used to collect data. The questionnaire consists of 15 questions in total. The European Heart Failure Self Care Behavior Scale was developed by Jaarsma et al. in 2003, and validity and reliability of the scale were determined by Baydemir et al. in 2013. The scale consists of 12 items of 5 Likert type. The total score of your scale ranged from 12 to 60, indicating that self care behaviors of 12-36 points were appropriate and self care behaviors of 37-60 points were inadequate. Data were evaluated using percentage, chi-square test.
Results: It was determined that the self care behaviors of elderly patients and obese patients were inadequate in this study (p=0.001, p=0.01 respectively).It was found that self care behaviors of those with secondary education, high school and university education, non smokers and non chronic ones were sufficient (p=0.001, p=0.001, p=0.05 respectively). Based on the total scores of the The European Heart Failure Self Care Behavior Scale, the minimum score is 14; maximum 53; mean value was found to be 30.57.
Conclusion: In this study, it was determined that the patients' self care behaviors were in the middle level. Self care behaviors fall in the presence of old age, obesity, smoking and chronic illness.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between treatment compliance and spiral well-being of hypertensive patients.
Methods: The study was conducted between December 2018 and May 2019 with 228 patients who were hospitalized in the internal clinics of a training research hospital, diagnosed with hypertension at least 6 months ago and volunteered to participate in the study. The data of the study were collected by face-to-face interviews by using the descriptive information form, sociodemographic characteristics of the patients and the characteristics of the disease, the Medication Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form in hypertensive patients and Spiritual Well-Being Scale. The study was conducted between December 2018 and May 2019 with 228 patients who were hospitalized in the internal clinics of a training research hospital, diagnosed with hypertension at least 6 months ago and volunteered to participate in the study. Number, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Kruskall Wallis analysis and Spearman correlation test were used for statistical evaluation of the data.
Results: It was found that the mean scores of the Medication Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form in hypertensive patients were 47.12±7.81 and the mean total score of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale was 130.32±8.25. When the relationship between the mean scores of the scores obtained from the Medication Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form in hypertensive patients and Spiritual Well-Being Scale was examined; there was a positive relationship between two scales total score mean (r=0.198, p=0.003).
Conclusion: It was determined that drug compliance and spiritual well-being of hypertension patients in the study were high. It was determined that as the level of spiritual well-being of patients increased, drug compliance increased.

Objective: This study was planned to determine perceived stress in patients with myocardial infarction.
Methods: The study was conducted with 300 patients with myocardial infarction who were hospitalized in the cardiology department of a training and research hospital in Istanbul between January-May 2019. Data were collected using “Questionnaire” and “Perceived Stress Scale-14 (AS-14)”. Descriptive statistics, One-way ANOVA and paired sample t test were used for data analysis.
Results: The mean age of the patients was 61.84±14 and 67.3% were male. Of the patients, 82.3% had comorbid disease, 64.7% had hypertension, 44.3% had diabetes, and 56.7% had myocardial infarction for the first time. After myocardial infarction, 54.8% of the patients were anxious and 55% were stressful. Mean perceived stress score of the patients included in the study was 25.94±6.86. Perceived stress scores of the patients with low education level and income, comorbid disease, diabetes and hypertension who did not use regular medication were found significantly higher (p<0.05). In addition, the perceived stress scores of the patients without hobby, not doing physical activity and feeling anxious after myocardial infarction were significantly higher (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The stress level of the patients participating in the study was normal and they were able to cope with stress. Low income, comorbid disease, hypertension, diabetes, not using regular medication, lack of hobby, and lack of physical activity increase perceived stress level.

Objective: Acute coronary syndrome affects important health dimensions related to individuals' social and personal relationships, their professional situations, their daily activities and quality of life. The study aimed determining the factors that affect quality of life of patients with acute coronary syndrome in the Turkish population and to examine the relationship between this factors.
Methods: The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 370 acute coronary syndrome patients. Data were collected with Multidimensional Index of Life Quality-Turkish Version. Descriptive statistics were calculated. The independent sample t test, one-way anova and multiple regression analysis were used in determining effects on quality of life scores of variables.
Results: Ten variables explained 31% of the variance related to the overall scale (R=0.56, R2=0.31, p<0.001). It has been seen that age (β=-9.39, p=0.001), marital status (β=-46.06, p<0.001), level of education (β=3.06, p=0.016), income-expense balance (β=16.77, p=0.012), number of previous infarction (β=-5.23, p=0.028) and regularly exercise (β=-16.81, p<0.001) had independent predictor effect on overall scores.
Conclusion: The study that discussed also general living standards and health-related lifestyles of the Turkish community revealed importance of cultural differences in determining the effects of a disease. This study can also enable nurses to plan nursing interventions and to improve the quality of care for this patients.

Cardiovascular diseases are among the chronic diseases with high mortality and morbidity rates in the world and our country. Increase in community life span, malnutrition, inactive lifestyle, smoking, hypertension, diabetes and family history count as the major causes of cardiovascular diseases and play an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease in chronic viral and bacterial infections. Oral health is defined as oral, dental, related structures and their functional vitality and affects general health, well-being and quality of life. In recent years, it has seem that pathogens associated with periodontal disease are associated with systemic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, low-birth weight infants, diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, and renal diseases. The link between oral health and CVD generally relies on bacterial dispersions that are distributed via blood to the other side of the body by the blood. In researches, individuals with coronary heart disease have been reported to improve systemic and hemodynamic status by correcting bad oral hygiene. The aim of oral care, which is considered as one of the basic principles of nursing care, is to reduce the effect of oral microbial flora and to prevent the development of opportunistic infections, to ensure the integrity of the oral mucosa, to maintain the health of the teeth and gums and to learn the oral hygiene practice of the individual. It is the responsibility of the nurses to take care for cardiovascular diseases, preventive measures before periodontal diseases develop, to teach the oral care, and to direct the patients to the dentist in risky situations. The nurse can do all these applications; within the nursing process depends on the patient's knowledge and skill in assessing oral health, the use of appropriate assessment tools, and the development of effective oral care protocols.