Health related quality of life after conservative or invasive treatment ofinducible postinfarction ischaemia

Objective-To assess health related quality of life in patients with inducib le postinfarction ischaemia. Design-A questionnaire based follow up study on patients randomised to cons ervative or invasive treatment because of postinfarction ischaemia. Setting-Seven county hospitals in eastern Denmark and the Heart Centre, Nat ional University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. Patients-113 patients with inducible postinfarction ischaemia: 51 were rand omised to conservative treatment and 62 to invasive treatment. Average foll ow up time was three years (19-57 months). Main outcome measures-SF-36, Rose angina and dyspnoea questionnaire, drug u se, lifestyle, and cognitive function. Results-Invasively treated patients scored better on the SF-36 scales of ph ysical functioning (p = 0.03) and on role-physical (p = 0.04) and physical component scales (p = 0.05) and took significantly less anti-ischaemic drug treatment. Angina occurred in 18% of the invasively treated patients and 3 1% of the conservatively treated patients (p = 0.09). However, more invasiv ely treated patients suffered from concentration difficulties (18% v 4%; p = 0.04). Conclusions-Patients who were treated invasively had better health related quality of life scores in the physical variables compared with conservative ly treated patients. However, a larger proportion of invasively treated pat ients had concentration difficulties.