[Preliminary study on the resumption of work after aorto-coronary bypass]

Abstract

A questionnaire was sent 8 months to 3 years after aorto-coronary bypass to 98 patients who, before surgery, had had to abandon their professional activities because of ischaemic heart disease to assess the numbers who had returned to work: thirty six patients (37%) had not returned to work for medical or personal reasons; only one patient had been refused by his employee; sixty two patients (63%) had returned to work, 81% full-time and 19% with a different job. Only 19% had to stop working secondarily for medical reasons. The criteria thought initially to influence the chances of resumption of professional activity were analysed: factors not influencing the return to work were: type of work before operation (judged by the physical activity involved and the statute of salaried or independent worker), the severity of surgery (number of grafts and associated resection of aneurysm), a subjective assessment of physical condition after surgery (91% or patients not returning to work admitted to feeling well); uncontrollable factors influencing the return to work were: age of patient (average 51,7 years for those returning to work, compared to 55,1 years for the others), previous history of myocardial infarction (2,5 times more common in those not returning to work); finally, controllable factors influencing return to work were: the duration of unemployment before surgery (3,3 months for those returning full-time, compared to 16,4 months for those not returning to work); the period between surgery and resumption of activity which averaged 5 months and should not exceed 6 months. Three factors seemed to be particularly important: apart from the shortest possible period of unemployment before surgery, early physical reeducation after surgery based on chest physiotherapy and readaptation to physical activity and a psychological preparation for the return to work which should be started even before surgery.