[Clinical outcome and health related quality of life in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty with balloon or stent. A prospective multicenter study].

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Clinical outcome and health related quality of life after coronary angioplasty with stent or balloon are insufficiently studied in routine practice. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of angioplasty on the clinical results and quality of life in real clinical practice.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

All the consecutive patients undergoing angioplasty with stent or balloon attending two Spanish tertiary hospitals from October, 1997 to July, 1998 were evaluated at baseline and one year after discharge from hospital with a structured clinical questionnaire and the generic SF-36 quality of life questionnaire.

RESULTS

Three hundred ninety-seven patients with a mean age of 63 years were included in the study. A stent (or stent plus balloon) was implanted in 342 patients and angioplasty with a single balloon was performed in 55 patients. More advanced coronary disease and suboptimal lesions for treatment were found in patients treated with only balloon. At one year of follow up the total mortality was 6% and 54% of the patients were free of angina. Mean baseline scores of the SF-36 questionnaire were remarkably low (35 for physical health and 45 for mental health). At one year the scores achieved levels similar to those of the general Spanish population matched for age and sex (45 for physical health and 52 for mental health). Independent predictors of quality of life at one year were the following: baseline quality of life, age, sex, comorbidity, previous hospitalizations, hospital where the patient was attended, symptoms at admission and late angina.

CONCLUSIONS

a) After percutaneous myocardial revascularization the mean quality of life achieved was similar to that of the general population; b) different clinical subgroups did not achieve these levels, although improvement was similar to that of the remaining subgroups