ASSESSING QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH SURGICALLY CORRECTED VALVULOPATHIES AFTER CARDIAC REHABILITATION

Valvulopathy is a valvular disease that causes changes in the structure and dysfunction of the valvular system with impaired individual functionality and social impact. Surgical treatment consists in replacing the heart valve with a prosthesis using extracorporeal circulation. The most used prostheses are biological and mechanical, while homografts are less commonly used. Continuous progress in prosthesis valve technology has forced a reorientation towards conservative surgery and thus led to a new development of the cardiac rehabilitation process. An important aspect is the increasing proportion of patients with valvulopathies in general and particularly those which surgery, which raises the importance of postoperative cardiac rehabilitation. After surgical correction, even if the patient is sedated and intubated, the physiotherapist initiates the cardiac rehabilitation programme in accordance with the principle of early kinetic intervention so that recovery is achieved as quickly as possible at parameters that allow reintegration into family and socio-professional life. In this context, the aim of this research is to assess the quality of life of patients with surgically corrected valvulopathies after applying the cardiac rehabilitation programme to a sample of 30 people included in the case study. The methods used in this scientific research are: documentation, questionnaire (QLHR-Q10), observation and data processing. The findings highlight that the quality of life of patients with surgically corrected valvulopathies is average but it constantly improves as a result of adopting a healthy lifestyle and applying the cardiac rehabilitation programme.