Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Heart Journal logoLink to British Heart Journal
. 1993 May;69(5):382–384. doi: 10.1136/hrt.69.5.382

Aspects of psychological and social morbidity in patients awaiting coronary artery bypass grafting.

M J Underwood 1, R K Firmin 1, D Jehu 1
PMCID: PMC1025096  PMID: 8518057

Abstract

OBJECTIVES--To assess anxiety, depression, and social adjustment in patients awaiting coronary artery bypass surgery. DESIGN--Patient completed questionnaire study. SETTING--Regional cardiothoracic centre. PATIENTS--109 questionnaires were sent to patients on the waiting list of two cardiothoracic surgeons. Sixty eight (62%) were returned and 15 (22%) of the respondents were women. There was no difference in the response rates for men (53/84) 63% and women (15/25) 60%. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Anxiety and depression were assessed by the hospital anxiety and depression (HAD) scale. Social functioning was assessed by several nine point rating scales on which patients indicated how their work, family relationships, social activities, private leisure activities, and home management were impaired. Patients also indicated the severity of their cardiac symptoms on a questionnaire based on the New York Heart Association classification for the assessment of the functional state of patients with heart disease. RESULTS--On the HAD scale 19 (28%) patients scored in the clinically significant range for anxiety. Time spent on the waiting list was positively and significantly related to anxiety (p = 0.05). Thirty two (47%) patients scored in the clinically significant range for depression. Time spent on the waiting list was positively and significantly related to depression (p = 0.005). Positive and significant relations were found between time spent on the waiting list and impairment of work (p = < 0.0001), family relationships (p = < 0.0001), private leisure activities (p = < 0.0001), and social activities (p = 0.004). No correlation was found between any of the above variables and the indicated level of clinical symptoms. CONCLUSIONS--This study documents previously unreported associations between the time patients wait for coronary artery surgery and levels of anxiety, depression, and social functioning. Conclusions regarding the causes of these symptoms cannot be made from this small population of patients but these results do suggest that these associations should be studied further.

Full text

PDF
382

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Allen C. M. Cabbages and CABG. BMJ. 1988 Dec 10;297(6662):1485–1486. doi: 10.1136/bmj.297.6662.1485. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Blachly P. H., Blachly B. J. Vocational and emotional status of 263 patients after heart surgery. Circulation. 1968 Sep;38(3):524–532. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.38.3.524. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Blachly P. H., Blachly B. J. Vocational and emotional status of 263 patients after heart surgery. Circulation. 1968 Sep;38(3):524–532. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.38.3.524. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brook R. H., Kosecoff J. B., Park R. E., Chassin M. R., Winslow C. M., Hampton J. R. Diagnosis and treatment of coronary disease: comparison of doctors' attitudes in the USA and the UK. Lancet. 1988 Apr 2;1(8588):750–753. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(88)91550-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. English T. A., Bailey A. R., Dark J. F., Williams W. G. The UK cardiac surgical register, 1977-82. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1984 Nov 3;289(6453):1205–1208. doi: 10.1136/bmj.289.6453.1205. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gilliss C. L. Reducing family stress during and after coronary artery bypass surgery. Nurs Clin North Am. 1984 Mar;19(1):103–111. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HACKETT T. P., WEISMAN A. D. Psychiatric management of operative syndromes. I. The therapeutic consultation and the effect of noninterpretive intervention. Psychosom Med. 1960 Jul-Aug;22:267–282. doi: 10.1097/00006842-196007000-00006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Heller S. S., Frank K. A., Malm J. R., Bowman F. O., Jr, Harris P. D., Charlton M. H., Kornfeld D. S. Psychiatric complications of open-heart surgery. A re-examination. N Engl J Med. 1970 Nov 5;283(19):1015–1020. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197011052831903. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Jakubik A. Mental disorders in patients after cardiosurgical operations. Acta Med Pol. 1972;13(1):103–111. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. MEYER B. C., BLACHER R. S., BROWN F. A clinical study of psychiatric and psychological aspects of mitral surgery. Psychosom Med. 1961 May-Jun;23:194–218. doi: 10.1097/00006842-196105000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Zigmond A. S., Snaith R. P. The hospital anxiety and depression scale. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1983 Jun;67(6):361–370. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1983.tb09716.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Heart Journal are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES