Relationship between quality of life and aerobic capacity of patients entering phase II cardiac rehabilitation after coronary artery bypass graft surgery

BACKGROUND: This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between patients' aerobic fitness and general health perceptions and how they correspond with functional aerobic impairment (%FAI) and quality of life (QOL). METHODS: One hundred and two patients were administered a version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life brief form questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). Then, each patient underwent cardiopulmonary exercise tests to determine their aerobic fitness and %FAI. We performed Pearson's and Spearman's correlation analyses to assess the association between variables on the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire and the each patient's aerobic fitness. RESULTS: Pearson's correlation coefficient demonstrated a significant association between WHOQOL-BREF scores and peak oxygen uptake (peak VO(2)) in the physical domain (p = 0.006) and environment domain (p = 0.011). Spearman's correlation coefficient also demonstrated a significant association between WHOQOL-BREF scores and the %FAI in the environmental domain (p = 0.036). CONCLUSION: QOL of patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery is influenced not only by impaired aerobic fitness but also by poor physical and psychological well-being. The implementation of proper lifestyle modifications and the strengthening of social support networks following CABG surgery are very important for maximizing cardiovascular fitness and improving the QOL of these patients.