ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate intra- and interobserver and interhospital repeatability of radionuclide left ventricular ejection fraction in post-infarction patients. DESIGN: The study comprised 131 patients who were examined in three different hospitals 2-7 days post infarction. The radionuclide examinations were conducted in a standardized manner, and different observers carried out repeated measurements blind on the stored raw data. RESULTS: The coefficients of variation were between 1.5% and 6.2%, and limits of agreement between +/- 0.012 and 0.056. There were no significant differences between the intra- and interobserver or interhospital repeatability in average, but some significant differences between individual observers were noted. CONCLUSION: The repeatability of LVEF was acceptable, with limits of agreement in the range +/- 0.012-0.056. Some differences between observers and hence hospitals were noted, which may be of clinical relevance.
Subject(s)
Myocardial Infarction/diagnostic imaging , Myocardial Infarction/epidemiology , Stroke Volume , Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/diagnostic imaging , Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/epidemiology , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Hospitals/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Observer Variation , Radionuclide Ventriculography/statistics & numerical data , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
This investigation was performed to study the reasons for receiving disability pension after aortocoronary bypass surgery. During the period March 1983 to November 1985, 250 patients underwent aortocoronary bypass surgery. At a mean follow-up of 4.9 years (range 3.6-6.7) after the operation, 31 patients were dead. Of the 219 survivors, all except four underwent a follow-up examination including an exercise test. The mean physical work capacity had increased from 92.2 W preoperatively to 119.3 W at follow-up (p < 0.001). At follow-up, however, 72 patients had received disability pension. The percentage of positive ECG-tests were equal among those who were working and those who had received disability pension. We suggest that, among those who had received disability pension, about 50% were in sufficient physical condition to manage their previous jobs or another type of job. Reasons other than physical working capacity played an important part as criteria for receiving disability pension.
