Quality of life after coronary artery bypass grafting: evaluating the influence of preoperative physical and psychosocial functioning.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the influence of preoperative physical and psychosocial functioning on quality of life 1 and 6 months after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). METHODOLOGY: The study used a prospective design. A total of 157 patients admitted for elective CABG in a Greek city hospital participated in the study. RESULTS: Results showed significant improvements in the quality of life of the patients after CABG [F(2, 95)=36.337; P<.001]. Structural equation modeling analyses showed that preoperative psychological distress was the only preoperative predictor of quality of life at 1 month (beta=-.22; P<.01) and at 6 months (beta=-.28; P<.001) after the operation. CONCLUSION: Results highlight preoperative distress as a screening criterion to identify patients likely to benefit less from cardiac surgery.