Abstract

Previous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of stent in the treatment of coronary heart diseases (CHD), but the impact of stent on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) still remains unclear. Our study aimed to examine the HRQOL of CHD patients before and 6 months after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent. A total of 223 consecutive CHD patients undergoing PCI with stent from November 2006 to August 2007 were enrolled and interviewed with two questionnaires. The HRQOL was measured by SF-36 at baseline and 6 months after intervention followed by comparison between normal American and Chinese population. Results showed the HRQOL of CHD patients before PCI was significantly lower than that of healthy population in all eight domains of SF-36 (P<0.01). However, 6 months after intervention, results from follow-up demonstrated significant improvement in HRQOL in 8 domains (P<0.05), and scores in 3 domains were close to those of healthy population (P<0.05). The cohort study also revealed the desired prognoses of our patients. PCI with stent may significantly improve the HRQOL of CHD patients. The QOL in 3 domains of SF-36 may reach the level of healthy population.

Key words: Health-related quality of life, SF-36, quality of life, coronary heart disease, percutaneous coronary intervention, stent.