Quality of life assessment in the first episode of acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND

Assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important measure of a patient's recovery after an illness. However, HRQoL among acute coronary syndrome (ACS) survivors has not been extensively studied following cardiac management.

AIM

The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of life (QoL) among ACS patients who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

METHODS

This cohort study included 145 consecutive male ACS patients between March 2021 and May 2022. Of these patients, 138 (mean age 54.3 ± 10.7 years) completed the QoL assessment using the short form-12 (SF-12) health survey questionnaire. Seventy (51%) of them presented with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), 18 (13%) had non-STEMI, 39 (28%) had evolved MI, and 11 (8%) had unstable angina. Recruited patients' QoL data were assessed at various time points post-PCI.

RESULTS

At the end of the 12 months of follow-up, major clinical events (MCE) defined as death, sudden death, or re-acute myocardial infarction occurred in 54.9% of patients. Out of 7 MCE, four deaths and three re-AMIs had occurred. SF-12 physical component score was found to be significantly improved when compared to the mental component score, which seems to improve without reaching statistical significance over time. Among event-free ACS patients, we found a significant positive correlation between left ventricular ejection fraction and HRQoL.

CONCLUSION

Improvement in HRQoL (physical component) was seen among ACS patients post-PCI.

RELEVANCE FOR PATIENTS

QoL assessment outcomes should be considered in clinical settings, practice guidelines, and treatment modality post-PCI to improve QoL in post-ACS survivors.