Factors related to functional status after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty

To describe the recovery process 1 year after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and measure factors that influence functional status.

Prospective, one-group observational study.

Mid-Atlantic, university-affiliated, tertiary care medical center.

One hundred thirty-five adults who underwent first-time PTCA. The age range was 29 to 78 years (mean 57).

Functional status.

Data collection was initiated before PTCA by personal interview and self-administered questionnaire conducted in the hospital and 12 months after PTCA by mailed questionnaire. Data on clinical, demographic, occupational, and psychosocial factors were collected to determine the predictors of functional status 12 months after PTCA.

One-tailed paired t tests were conducted to measure whether there was improvement (positive change) in functional status from before PTCA to 12 months after PTCA. Multivariate and logistic-regression analyses were also conducted. Although there were significant improvements in functional status outcomes in the categories of activities of daily living, mental health, and social interaction 12 months after PTCA, patients continued to report important functional status disabilities in the categories of activities of daily living (14%), social activity (14%), mental health (25%), quality of interaction (10%), and work performance (17%). The variable most predictive of functional status was the patient's baseline score on that particular functional status subscale.

These findings are consistent with other studies on functional status. They suggest that rehabilitation programs should assess pre-PTCA functional status to identify those individuals at risk for poor outcome after PTCA and design interventions to restore physical and functional status after PTCA.