[Experiences of living with coronary artery bypass graft: a qualitative study]

ABSTRACT

Coronary artery bypass graft is a critical intervention for patients with coronary artery disease. This surgery is associated with significant changes and unique experiences in lives of patients. This study was conducted to understand the experiences of patients with coronary artery bypass graft. This qualitative study was conducted using an interpretive phenomenological approach. Eleven patients were selected from outpatient cardiology clinics of Tehran Heart Center using purposive sampling method. Data were gathered through semi-structured in-depth interviews lasting 55-70 minutes. The van Manen six steps analysis was used to analyze the data. During the data analysis, the main themes of experiences of living with coronary artery bypass and rebirth were extracted. These themes contained living with healthy heart, feeling back to the young and attempts for health maintenance. According to the study, participants were inclined to maintain the new lifestyle, dietary changes and also adhere to medications prescription. Nurses can help patients with properly designed educational program based on experiences of the patients