[Change in the quality of life following aortocoronary bypass and heart valve replacement: assessment of subjective surgical success].

Life quality of 100 consecutive male patients, half with coronary heart disease and half with valve diseases, was assessed 2 days prior to operation (A in the Tab.) as well as 1 year postoperatively (B in the Tab.) by standardized interview. The questionnaire included the physical condition and the emotional status, employment status, social interaction and sexuality. By far the majority of the interviewed patients showed a distinct improvement in all fields confirming a clearly positive effect of the heart operation on life quality: The number of persons employed increased by a third. The length of preoperative sick leave seems to be a good indicator for returning to work again: from 52 persons, having been preoperatively on sick leave for more than 2 weeks, 21 retired early after operation, 6 remained on sick leave and only 6 patients returned to full-time work again. On the other hand, 20 of the 24 patients who worked up to the time of operation took up their employment again postoperatively. Postoperative employment status does not seem to be primarily a question of physical improvement. Anxiety and fear of infarction recurrence or economic factors seem to be much more decisive for returning to work. However, the patients reported a distinct improvement of physical and emotional status: 85 described their physical condition, 63 their emotional status as "clearly improved" or "better". Less drugs were used in general, and the use of tranquillizers and soporifics was cut down to a third.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)