CORONARY RISK FACTOR STATUS AFTER PERCUTANEOUS TRANSLUMINAL CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY

Objective: To determine whether patients modify their risk factors aft er undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). D esign: One-group, pretest-posttest. Pretest data were collected on the day before PTCA, and posttest data were collected at a mean follow-up of 11 months after PTCA. Data were collected from medical records and by patient self-report. Setting: University-affiliated, metropolitan public and private hospitals. Patients: Two hundred nine patients unde rgoing PTCA. Outcome measures: Patients' smoking and exercise habits w ere assessed by self-report. Serum cholesterol level and body mass ind ex were determined from entries in medical charts. Results: All measur ed risk factors, with the exception of smoking, underwent favorable ch ange (p < 0.001) after PTCA. The number of current smokers, however, i ncreased significantly (p < 0.001), as did the number of cigarettes th ese patients smoked per day (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Evaluation of the effect of intervention strategies on reducing patients' smoking behavi or after PTCA is required.