Health-related quality of life and post-traumatic stress disorder in patients after cardiac surgery and intensive care treatment

Objectives: Health-related quality of life and patient satisfaction have be come important end points in cardiac surgery. Post-traumatic stress disorde r has been described in patients with life-threatening heart disease. In th is study, we investigated the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder in a sample of patients after cardiac surgery and compared health-related q uality of life and patient satisfaction between patients with and without e vidence of post-traumatic stress disorder. Methods: We studied 80 patients serially admitted to the intensive care uni t after cardiac surgery (bypass grafting, n = 51, aortic valve replacement, n = 29). Health-related quality of life was assessed with the use of the S F-36 Health Status Questionnaire. Post-traumatic stress disorder was measur ed with a previously validated instrument (the Post-Traumatic Stress Syndro me 10-Questions Inventory), and 20 different aspects of life satisfaction w ere quantified on a scale ranging from 0 to 10. For measurements of health- related quality of life and post-traumatic stress disorder, age- and gender -comparable healthy individuals, as well as patients with cardiovascular di seases, served as control groups. Results: Patients who had cardiac surgery described high life satisfaction summary scores (156 of a maximum of 200 points) and only small impairments in physical and mental SF-36 summary scores when compared with healthy cont rol groups (median reduction 7.15, P < .05). Patients with evidence of post -traumatic stress disorder (n = 15) reported the lowest SF-36 mental health summary scores when compared with patients without stress disorder (38.3 v s 48.4, P = .004) and rated their life satisfaction lower (121.5 vs 162.0, P= .002). Conclusions: Patients who have had cardiac surgery demonstrate a high life satisfaction with an acceptable degree of physical and mental health-relate d quality of life. Impairments in psychosocial function and life satisfacti on were found in a subgroup of patients with evidence of post-traumatic str ess disorder.