Quality of Life after Coronary Artery Surgery

Seventy-nine men were assessed using standard interview procedures before and at three and 12 months after coronary artery surgery. At one year, the majority reported relief of angina and reduced difficulty in performing everyday activities, but there was considerable individual variation in changes in quality of life. Overall, there were improvements in mental state, leisure activity, satisfaction and family life, but few benefits for work and sexual relations. For a fifth of patients global quality of life was no better or was worse than before surgery and this poor outcome was not closely related to physical state. Patients who described psychological symptoms or had a 'passive' approach to their illness before operation were less likely to have a good outcome. It is probable that the benefits of surgery could be substantially increased by provision of better facilities including simple individually planned preparation and rehabilitation. The study demonstrates that specific interview based ratings can be used to quantify changes in those aspects of quality of life which are most important to patients and their families.