A comparative study of patient perceived quality of life pre and post coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Objective: Traditionally, evaluation of outcome post cardiac surgery has focused on objective measures of cardiovascular status. The emphasis has shifted to examining an individual's quality of life (QoL). However a gap in Australian prospective research assessing QoL from a preoperative period to the early stage of six weeks postoperatively exists. The aim of this study was to investigate recovery from coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABGS) on the basis of patient perceived QoL and in particular, physical and mental health. Design and setting: Prospective longitudinal quasi-experimental study in a tertiary hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Subjects: Fifty four patients undergoing their first or second CABGS completed pre- and post- operative questionnaires. Main outcome measures: The Short Form 36 (SF- 36) questionnaire was used to measure physical and mental QoL pre-and post CABGS and gives eight domain scores as well as a physical (PCS) and mental component summary score (MCS). Results: SF-36 scores following CABGS were significantly improved in three of the eight domains: physical functioning (p