Improvement in quality of life during 5 years after coronary artery bypassgrafting

Objective To describe the changes in various aspects of quality of life (QO L) from before coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) to 5 years after the procedure. Patients and methods Patients who underwent CABG in the western region of S weden in 1988-1991 were approached with questionnaires evaluating their QOL prior to and 3 months and 1, 2, and 5 years after the operation. Three dif ferent instruments were used: the Nottingham Health Profile, the Psychologi cal General Well-Being Index, and the Physical Activity Score. Results In all 2121 patients underwent CABG, of whom 310 died during 5 year s of follow-up. With all three instruments QOL had improved 5 years after C ABG compared with prior to the operation. However, all three instruments re vealed a slight but significant deterioration in estimated QOL between 2 an d 5 years after CABG, Conclusions QOL 5 years after CABG is better than that prior to the operati on, but between 2 and 5 years after the operation a slight deterioration in QOL is observed. Coronary Artery Dis 9:519-526 (C) 1998 Lippincott William s & Wilkins.