Physical Activity, Functional Fitness and Quality of Life After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Heart diseases continue as the top 3 causes of death in Taiwan in recent ten years. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most prevalent fatal heart disease. Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) is now one of the most common procedures to treat CAD. It was reported that CABG intervention could prolong the life. However, outcomes of CABG have historically been measured in terms of mortality and recurrence of symptoms or complications.There is ample evidence to demonstrate the effect and benefit of cardiac rehabilitation in QOL and function activity in patients post CABG. However, the participation rate of postoperative cardiac rehabilitation is low, especially in women.Little research has been done to examine the physical activity, physical performance, and QOL in this population outside the cardiac rehabilitation setting.