Quality of life after coronary artery bypass surgery

This study assessed the quality of life (QoL) of 124 people with coronary artery disease who had coronary artery bypass surgery in a hospital in Brazil, by using the Modified Flanagan's QoL instrument as the outcome measure. In addition, we studied the association between QoL and demographic, clinical, and perceived health status (using SF-36 Health Survey) measures. The mean for the Modified Flanagan's QoL was high (M = 84.8, SD = 13.6) when compared to similar studies in the United States. In a linear regression analysis, the SF-36 subscales of vitality, and general and mental health were statistically significant (p < .01 for all), after adjusting for other demographic and clinical variables. Increasing values of those SF-36 subscales corresponded to increasing Modified Flanagan's QoL. Despite the limitations of the study, this result suggests that future clinical interventions aimed to improve QoL in this population could focus on the patient's psychological conditions after the surgery.