Return to work after coronary angioplasty or heart surgery: a 5-year experience with the “CardioWork” protocol

The "CardioWork" protocol, for work resumption after invasive heart procedures and subsequent cardiac rehabilitation, is presented. Over 5 years, 107 consecutive patients of working age were enrolled. Jobs were classified as multiples of basal metabolism according to the entity of physical strain. These data were integrated with instrumental evaluations to provide indications regarding time and modality of work resumption. A total of 89.7% of patients resumed working. Other relevant findings include the correlation of time for work resumption with the kind of treatment and the task energy requirement; the earliness of return to work, even for older people and those performing heavy tasks; and the difficulty of work resumption for those who failed to restart work within 6 months. This study highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary rehabilitative approach to facilitate work resumption, adapting the work tasks to the changed psychophysical capabilities.