Background: Comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation programs constitute a treatment method in patients
with coronary artery disease and can prolong patients’ lifespan and reduce the frequency of
readmission. The present study aimed to determine the effects of changes in myocardial
dysfunction on quality of life after cardiac rehabilitation.
Method: The present interventional case-control study randomly assigned patients with coronary artery
disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention to a case group (n = 40) and a control
group (n = 40). A demographic questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the
Baecke Physical Activity Inventory, and the MacNew Quality of Life Questionnaire were
completed for all the patients before and after the study. Echocardiography and laboratory tests
were also conducted. The case group underwent the cardiac rehabilitation program. The data
collected were analyzed in SPSS 21 using measures of the independent and paired t-test, as well
as the χ2 test.
Results: The mean age of the study patients was 57.71 years. Moreover, 92.5% of the patients were
male in both groups. The 2 groups were matched in terms of demographic characteristics.
Cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, and smoking status were found to show statistically significant
differences in the case and control groups after the intervention compared to before the
intervention, whereas the difference in the mean scores of myocardial dysfunction was
statistically insignificant at both time points. The intervention also improved the quality of life
of the participants in the emotional, physical, and social dimensions (P < 0.01).
Conclusions: Cardiac rehabilitation programs are recommended with a view to improving quality of
life in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty.