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

ObjectiveThe 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).MethodologyThe study used a prospective design. A total of 157 patients admitted for elective CABG in a Greek city hospital participated in the study.ResultsResults 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 (β=−.22; P<.01) and at 6 months (β=−.28; P<.001) after the operation.ConclusionResults highlight preoperative distress as a screening criterion to identify patients likely to benefit less from cardiac surgery.