Lifestyle adaptations of patients with coronary artery disease who underwent coronary artery bypass graph surgery, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or insertion of a coronary stent

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is one of the most common cardiovascular disorder in adults. CAD often results in myocardial infarction or angina (Wilson, 2003:21). It is an accepted fact that the incidence of CAD has reached endemic proportions in South Africa (Venter, 1993:15). Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery, Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) and insertion of a coronary stent are major therapeutic approaches to the treatment of CAD. However, these procedures do nothing to correct the underlying disease process (Hunt, Hendrata, Myles, 2000:389; Venter, 1993:15). Due to physiological changes patients suffering from CAD are expected to make lifestyle adaptations, in order to improve quality of life and prevent further damage to coronary arteries (Gotto, 1987:29). It is suspected that patients do not always adapt their lifestyle when they suffer from CAD, or if they do, do not maintain these adaptations. The following question emerges: • Do patients with coronary artery disease adapt their lifestyle and if they do, do they maintain these adaptations? The purpose of this study is to explore and describe the extent to which patients with CAD who underwent CABG, PTCA or insertion of a coronary stent adapt their lifestyles and to what extent they maintain these adaptations. Secondly, the purpose is to set guidelines to help with the improvement of lifestyle adaptations and contingency of adaptations. The objectives of the study is to explore and describe the extent to which patients with CAD adapt their lifestyles following CABG surgery, PTCA or insertion of a i coronary stent, the comparison of the extent of these lifestyle adaptations after two and four months and to set guidelines to improve the extent and contingency of lifestyle adaptations. An explorative and descriptive study was done in order to explore and describe the extent to which patients with CAD, who underwent CABG surgery, PTCA or insertion of coronary a stent, adapted their lifestyle, and to determine the maintenance of these lifestyle adaptations. For the purpose of this study questionnaires, based on a conceptual framework, were designed. The questionnaires enabled the researcher to explore and describe the lifestyle adaptations that patients with CAD underwent. The study was conducted in five private hospitals in Gauteng. The data obtained confirmed that patients suffering from CAD do adapt their lifestyle after having CABG surgery, PTCA or insertion of a coronary stent. Data also showed that the presence of a cardiac rehabilitation centre at the hospital where participants were treated, has a significant influence on patients’ ability to adapt their lifestyle and to maintain this new lifestyle.Dr. W.O.J. Nel Ms. W. Jacob