This prospective study aimed to compare cardiac patients’ quality of life (QOL) before and 3 months after open-heart operations and to determine the associations between patients’ general characteristics, disease characteristics, social support and cardiac patients’ QOL after open-heart operations. A total of 150 patients who underwent elective open-heart operations requiring cardiopulmonary bypass at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery of Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, participated in this study. Data were collected through interviewing before the operations and by post 3 months after the operations using SF-36 v2 questionnaire. Subjective perceptions of physical and mental functions of all patients were significantly changed 3 months after the operations (p< 0.001). The summary QOL scores of male gender both before and after operations were significantly higher than female (p < 0.001). The QOL of patients aged < 60 years and = 60 years was not significantly different except in physical functioning. Patients aged < 60 years were improved more than patients = 60 years (p = 0.047). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that significant prediction of good QOL 3 months after operations for each QOL dimension were male gender. For physical functioning (adjusted OR = 3.75, 95% CI: 1.85-7.61), vitality (adjusted OR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.02-4.40), social functioning (adjusted OR = 2.23, 95% CI: 1.12-4.43), role-emotional (adjusted OR = 3.20, 95% CI: 1.50-6.82) and mental health (adjusted OR = 3.42, 95% CI: 1.66-7.05). Hospital staff should provide both physical and mental rehabilitation programs as soon as possible, focusing on female patients = 60 years. Social functioning should be also be promoted at their competency level both before and after open-heart operations.

M.Sc. (PUBLIC HEALTH) INFECTIOUS DISEASES & EPIDEMIOLOGY มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล ปี 2548

of, surgery, Quality, heart, life, OPEN-HEART, OPERATIONS