PTCA AND ACVG - REHABILITATION AFTER INTE RVENTION - COMPARISON OF 308 MATCHED PAIRS

Statistical analyses with an SPSS-program were carried out on 308 matc hed pairs of patients post PTCA and post ACVG to find out the effectiv eness of a 4-week postinterventional rehabilitation program and the re sults 1-6 years later. Exercise therapie increased significantly the m aximal symptom limited workload post PTCA from 90.6 to 104.1 Watt and post ACVG from 81.6 to 99.2 Watt. The values remained unchanged over 1 -6 years. Secondary prevention (low calory diet, exercise, drugs) decr eased cholesterol post PTCA significantly from 226 mg% to 209mg%. Ther e were low values post ACVG with cholesterol 205 mg% to 210 mg%. After 1-6 years a significant increase of cholesterol values was found for both groups. After the rehabilitation program 93.5% of the patients po st PTCA and 99.6% post ACVG were non-smokers. There was a decrease of non-smokers 1-6 years to 88.5% and 92.1% respectively. Vocational reha bilitation was successful after PTCA in 60.2%, after ACVG in 64.9% dep ending on age, maximal work-load and number of myocardial infarctions. In post PTCA-patients there was 1-6 years a significant a higher degr ee of doctor's consultations, angina pectoris, use of nitrates and cal cium antagonists, re-PTCA (23.7% versus 5.1%) and ACVG (4.4% versus 1. 5%). Cumulative mortality was found to be the same in both groups (4.8 6% post PTCA versus 4.56% post ACVG). Conclusions: The results of the study give a number of arguments for the necessity of rehabilitation p rograms and secondary prevention post ACVG. There are even more such a rguments for patients post PTCA.