Indicators of Functional Deficits After Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

The purposes of this study were to determine if ratings of difficulty or pain were more likely to detect deficits in activities of daily living (ADL) than degree of dependency and to longitudinally examine ADL in patients recovering from coronary artery bypass (CAB) surgery. This study included 40 patients who had recently undergone CAB surgery. We evaluated ADL performance using 3 subcategories of the Functional Status Index: mobility, personal care, and hand activities. Subjects completed the Functional Index before, 2 weeks after, and 2 months after CAB surgery. The percent of participants reporting difficulty or pain on the FSI was greater than the percent needing assistance except for hand activities preoperatively. Up to 65% of study participants reported deficits in ADL performance. In conclusion, assessments of ADL abilities that rely only on need for assistance may underestimate the presence of functional deficits in patients recovering from CAB surgery. Understanding functional level will assist in determining patient's need for rehabilitation services after CAB surgery.