Quality of life following cerebral bypass surgery.

Abstract

Information available for nurses on counseling cerebral bypass patients regarding the outcomes of surgery is limited. In order to assess the impact of surgery on the patient's quality of life, a questionnaire was mailed to a sample of cerebral bypass patients who were at least three months postoperative and had suffered an ischemic event prior to surgery. Objective and subjective indicators were used to assess quality of life. Objective measures included type and frequency of symptoms most often associated with ischemic events, as well as return to work status. Subjective aspects included an overall assessment of life satisfaction as measured by the Cantril Self Anchoring Scale and satisfaction with these related domains of life: family, social, sex and occupation. Perceptions of body image were also examined. One hundred and two questionnaires were analyzed. Results indicated that for patients who were working before surgery, return to work was significant (p less than .0001). The signs and symptoms most often associated with an ischemic event were identified and overall, the number of reported symptoms was significantly decreased (p less than .0001) after surgery. In addition, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures indicated that patients viewed present and future life as better than life prior to surgery. Patients also reported greater satisfaction with family life (p less than .0001) and body image (p less than .01) following surgery. This information will be useful to nurses in diagnosing and counseling patients with stroke symptoms as well as in developing a comprehensive plan of care for patients who may undergo cerebral bypass surgery.