title: Patients' and partners' health-related quality of life before and 4 months after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients having coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) often depend on their partners for assistance before and after surgery. Whilst patients' physical and mental health usually improves after surgery little is known about the partners' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in CABG. If the partners' physical and emotional health is poor this can influence their caregiving role and ability to support the patient. This study aimed: to increase understanding of patients' and partners' HRQoL before and after CABG; to explore whether patients' and partners' pre-operative socio-demographics and HRQoL predict their own, and also partners' HRQoL 4 months after CABG.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective study recruited 84 dyads (patients 84% males, aged 64.5 years; partners 94% females, aged 61.05 years). Patients' and partners' perceived health status was assessed using the Short-Form 12 Health Survey. Patients' physical limitation, angina symptoms and treatment satisfaction were assessed using the Seattle Angina Questionnaire. Partners' emotional, physical and social functioning was assessed using the Quality of Life of Cardiac Spouses Questionnaire. Data were analysed using hierarchical multiple (logistic) regressions, repeated measures analysis of variance, paired t test and Chi square.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients most likely to have poorer physical health post-operatively were associated with partners who had poorer pre-operative physical health. Partners most likely to have poorer emotional, physical and social functioning post-operatively were associated with patients who had poorer pre-operative mental health. Patients" and partners' poorer post-operative HRQoL was also explained by their poorer pre-operative HRQoL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The partners' involvement should be considered as part of patients' pre-operative assessment. Special attention needs be paid to patients' pre-operative mental health since it is likely to impact on their post-operative mental health and the partner's emotional, physical and social functioning.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, BG Bomont Building, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland. patricia.thomson@stir.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Niven
authors.forename: David F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Peck
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eaves