Returning to work/activity following cardiac illness (weeks)

Postoperative time to full activity including work (weeks):

Notes:

• the information applies to general fitness to work for people below 60 years of age without other significant disability and working in all occupations other than heavy manual work. This information is only a guide to doctors, who will need to consider the individual clinical circumstances when advising patients
• in most cases, returning to work after MI should not be delayed beyond 3 months as a successful return is less likely as time goes on (2)
• patients who have suffered a cardiac arrest or undergone CABG generally take longer to recover physically and cognitively and may require up to 6 months off work (2)
• cardiac rehabilitation programmes should include work assessment and advice
  • assessment may simply involve listing the tasks involved in the job and grading them in order of difficulty
  • occasionally a more detailed assessment in the work place may be required
  • where exercise tolerance is reduced or the work is physically demanding it may be helpful to undertake a programme of ‘work-hardening’ as part of the rehabilitation programme (2)
  • the aim should be to devise a return to work plan which will minimise the impact of symptoms such as fatigue or poor concentration, thereby increasing the confidence of both patient and employer
  • advice to the patient should include (2):
    • phased return to work beginning with alternate halfdays - a plan where the patient's work return builds up over a 2-3 week period should be encouraged
    • initially returning to light or less challenging duties
    • making provision for additional rest periods where fatigue is a known problem or return to work has been delayed
    • providing a mechanism for feedback on performance from the employer or a member of staff
      
      

Reference:

1. Department of Work and Pensions (UK), IB204 (April 2000).
2. British Heart Foundation (Factfile July 2005). Returning to work after a heart attack.