Heart Bypass Surgery

My name is Gordana Bruce. My partner had quadruple bypass surgery 12 years ago, at the age of 36. Since then he has had a number of other cardiac procedures, so over the years, we have both learnt a lot about the ups and downs of living with heart disease. My personal experience of living with someone who has heart disease developed into a research interest, and my Honours research project examined the needs and well-being of partners of cardiac patients. I am now conducting research towards my doctoral degree in Psychology, and have expanded my research to include both patients and their partners. I am conducting my research under the supervision of Dr Elizabeth Hardie and Dr Bruce Findlay in the Faculty of Life and Social Sciences at Swinburne University of Technology in Victoria, Australia (www.swin.edu.au). My study examines the experiences (both positive and negative) of patients and their partners after a cardiac event, such as heart attack or bypass surgery. I am also interested in how a cardiac event affects the couple's relationship. I am looking for both male-patient and female-patient couples to fill in a survey, which will take about 45 minutes to complete. The survey has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee at Swinburne University of Technology and asks about your experiences of living with heart disease. Both members of a couple are invited to take part in this research if: you or your partner have experienced a cardiac event in the past 12 months; you were living with your partner at the time of the event and are still living with your partner now; you are both fluent in English; and you are both over 21 years old. The results of this research will help in designing programs that can help better meet the needs of couples living with heart disease. Complete the survey on line at www.couplesheartresearch.com or email me for more information at: gbruce@...