Effectiveness of healthy heart intervention among bangladeshi with coronary artery bypass graft: A randomized controlled trial

Coronary artery bypass grafting is considered to be a more effective surgical procedure for the long-term benefits of people with obstructed coronary artery than other types of treatment. Yet, this measure does not provide an equally successful outcome for all people due to associated psychological and physical impediments. There is a lack of support programs in Bangladesh for people with coronary artery bypass grafting, and for this reason this randomized control trialled investigated the effectiveness of a healthy heart intervention program on the functional status and cardiac risk parameters among these people. A total of 160 participants with coronary artery disease were admitted to a specialized cardiac hospital in Dhaka for bypass grafting and they were randomly assigned to the experimental (n=80) and control group (n=80). The experimental group participated in the healthy heart intervention program in the hospital for 4 weeks in addition to routine care and also received follow-up phone calls at home after hospital discharge, while the control group received only routine hospital care. The data collection tools included demographic data and the health history questionnaire, the Bengali version of SF-36, and the cardiac risk assessment form. The outcomes of the program were measured at baseline, and at 12 and 16 weeks. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, t-test, chi-square, and two-way repeated measures ANOVA. At baseline, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of demographic characteristics, health history, functional status, or risk parameters. The mean score for functional status was significantly higher, and the risk parameters for blood pressure and blood glucose were significantly lower in the experimental group than the scores in the control group at twelve and sixteen weeks. The healthy heart intervention program was seen to be useful for improving the functional status and reducing the risk parameters of individuals that have undergone coronary artery bypass grafts. The findings provide evidence for reforming the healthcare of the target population and for further research in order to validate the results before implementation in practice.