Return to Work After Successful Coronary Angioplasty: Comparison Between a Comprehensive Rehabilitation Program and Patients Receiving Usual Care

The effects of a 12-week exercise training and cardiac education program on short-term and long-term employment and realted measures of quality of life were compared in a nonrandomized study. Eighty-three trained patients and 92 patients who received, usual physician care (usual care) after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) were studied. Data, were collected from medical files and by a before-and-after PTCA questionnaire. At baseline, groups did not differ with respect to age, medical status, occupational status, level of income, presence of risk factors for coronary disease, and patient's perception of health. Of those working full time before PTCA, 11% of the patients in the trained group and 23% of the patients in the usual care group did not resume their work status after 18 months of follow-up. At 18 months after PTCA, 37% of the trained vs 52% of the usual care patients quit working (P