Differences in recovery from cardiac surgery: a profile of male and female patients.

The specific aim of this study is to compare and contrast the biophysical and psychosocial profile of men and women undergoing cardiac surgery (coronary artery bypass graft and valve replacement) during the perioperative and home recovery period. Coronary artery disease appears to be qualitatively worse in women than men although the prevalence in women does not approach that in men until the seventh decade. Valvular disorders also reveal a...