title: Outcomes after major vascular surgery: the patients' perspective.
abstract: Surgical outcomes are traditionally defined by rates of morbidity and mortality, as well as the success with which operative objectives are met. Although quality of life after surgery has been sporadically mentioned in the literature since the turn of the century, far greater emphasis has been placed on traditional outcome measures. As the population ages and technological advances permit high-risk interventions in selected elderly patients, the assessment of outcomes with respect to quality of life has become increasingly relevant. To assess quality of life and surgical outcome, 15 patients undergoing simultaneous bilateral renal revascularization at Yale-New Haven Hospital were retrospectively studied. Fifteen charts were reviewed for data on length of hospital stay, number of days in the intensive care unit, operative morbidity, and short- and long-term results. The SF-36, a previously validated health status questionnaire, was used to survey the 11 long-term survivors. Telephone surveys were conducted by a vascular nurse. Of the 11 long-term survivors, nine patients rated their health as good to excellent (eight rated it the same or better than before surgery), eight had no or minimal physical disability, and 10 remained as involved socially as previously. The SF-36 appears to be an effective instrument for assessing postoperative quality of life. It was concluded that this group of patients was satisfied with the outcome of surgery, suggesting that major vascular surgical interventions could be undertaken in selected elderly patients without significant adverse impact on quality of life.
authors.forename: K O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Lacey
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Krumholz
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Gusberg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012078:Renal Artery Obstruction / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome