Patients Reported Health-Related Quality of Life Five Years Post Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery – A Methodological Study

BACKGROUND: The number of individuals undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (CABGS) to treat coronary artery disease is steadily increasing. AIM: The purpose of the study was to describe the cohort's characteristics, their angina and breathless symptoms and report health-related quality of life (HRQoL) five years after CABGS. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-eight patients participated in the follow-up study using the quality of life Short-Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire. Angina and breathless symptoms were also recorded. RESULTS: One hundred and nine patients were interviewed (face-to-face) and 19 completed postal questionnaires. The SF-36 component summaries of the face-to-face patients indicated that their physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) health was relatively good (45.8 and 53.6, respectively, with 0=worst health and 100=best health and 50 being the mean score), compared to the postal patients' mean PCS of 30.8 (p<.001). The postal MCS was also lower but not statistically significant (49.6, p=.081). At follow-up, the majority of patients were asymptomatic in terms of angina and breathlessness compared to their pre-operative status. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate that patient perceived HRQoL five years after CABGS is generally good and patients remain relatively asymptomatic although data collection methods highlight differences in physical HRQoL.