PERCUTANEOUS TRANSLUMINAL CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY - CLINICAL AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE OUTCOMES ONE-YEAR LATER

Background: The quality of life status of patients prior to and follow ing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) has not been comprehensively investigated. Aim: This study was carried out to dete rmine the effect that PTCA has on patients' quality of life. Methods: Data on 209 patients were collected one day pre-PTCA and at a mean of two and 11 months post-PTCA. Data on symptomatic status, functional ca pacity, life satisfaction and psychological well-being were analysed q uantitatively. Clinical outcomes, patient perception of PTCA and emplo yment status wee analysed by descriptive statistics. Results: Highly s ignificant improvement in all quality of life measures was found at th e early followup (p<.001). This improvement was sustained at the late follow-up. At the late follow-up, 58% of patients felt that PTCA had b een very beneficial to their health and well-being, and 79% of workers had returned to work. PTCA was primarily successful in 91% of vessels dilated. There were no procedural-related deaths, 12 patients (6%) de veloped acute occlusion and three patients (1.5%) experienced myocardi al infarction (MI). A symptomatic restenosis rate of 16% was found, in cluding 19 patients (9%) requiring repeat PTCA and 14(7%) undergoing c oronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Conclusion: These findings sugg est that, after PTCA, the majority of patients experienced improved qu ality of life which was sustained one year later.