Improved health-related quality of life and functional status after surgical ventricular restoration.
BACKGROUND
Surgical ventricular restoration (SVR) has been shown to improve hemodynamics and survival among patients with coronary artery disease, left ventricular aneurysm, and heart failure. The aim of this study was to investigate functional status and health-related quality of life after SVR.


METHODS
Over a period of 2 years beginning in March 2003, 23 patients with left ventricular aneurysm and depressed left ventricular function were included in a prospective study. Functional status and quality of life was analyzed preoperatively, 6 months postoperatively, and at late follow-up by assessment of New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, 6-minute walk test, and the Medical Outcome Study 36-Item Short Form.


RESULTS
There was no early mortality. Before surgery, 17 patients (74%) were in NYHA class III to IV; and 6 months after SVR, 20 patients (87%) were in NYHA class I to II (p < 0.001). At late follow-up, (mean, 22 months postoperatively), all patients alive (n = 20) were in NYHA class I to II. Mean 6-minute walk distance increased by 41 meters (p = 0.06) at 6 months postoperatively and by 57 meters (p = 0.03) at late follow-up. Quality of life, assessed by the physical component summary score of the Medical Outcome Study 36-Item Short Form, improved significantly (p = 0.04) at 6 months postoperatively. A significant and clinically relevant improvement in both physical aspects (+25%, p < 0.001) and mental aspects (+37%, p = 0.003) of quality of life was found at late follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
Functional status and quality of life improved 6 months after SVR, and the improvement was sustained at late follow-up almost 2 years after surgery.
Sartipy
Ulrik
U
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Anesthesiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. ulrik.sartipy@karolinska.se
Albåge
Anders
A
Lindblom
Dan
D
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013318:Stroke Volume; D015996:Survival Rate; D013548:Sweden; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000502:physiology*