Quality of Life Is Improved One Year Following Cardiac Surgery.

Abstract Background Quality of life (QoL) is increasingly important in the era of patient-centered outcomes and value-based reimbursement. However, most follow-up is limited to 30 days and long-term data on QoL improvement associated with symptom relief are lacking. Therefore, we sought to analyze QoL following cardiac surgery in a non-emergent, all-comers population. Methods A total of 402 patients undergoing routine cardiac surgery at two large urban hospitals in the Dallas, Texas area were enrolled. Follow-up was complete for 364 patients. Data was collected from 08/2013-01/2017. The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) was administered at baseline, one month, and one year following surgery. Repeated measures analysis was used for each domain of the KCCQ for all procedures and stratified by procedure. If time was found to be a significant factor, pairwise analysis was performed with p-values adjusted using Tukey-Kramer method. Results There was a significant increase across all domains of KCCQ scores for all procedures and for most domains when stratifying by procedure. This increase in QoL is most marked after one month. All domain scores increased through one year except symptom stability which peaked at one month post-surgery and then regressed at one year, suggesting an overall improvement and stabilization of symptoms. The occurrence of complications did not alter this trajectory. Conclusions QoL and other patient-centered outcomes are improved at one month and continue to improve throughout the year. Knowledge of these data is important for patient selection, fully informed consent and shared decision making.