Related Experiment Videos
Depressive symptoms and outcome of coronary artery bypass grafting
C D Saur1, B B Granger, L H Muhlbaier
1Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Insights
Higher depressive symptoms before coronary artery bypass grafting predict increased hospital readmissions within six months. Early identification and intervention by nurses can help mitigate these risks for cardiac patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Psychiatry
- Nursing
Background:
- Depressive symptoms are a known risk factor for cardiac disease outcomes.
- The impact of depressive symptoms on outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between pre- and post-operative depressive symptoms and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing CABG.
- To assess the correlation between depressive symptoms and length of stay, readmission rates, and mortality post-CABG.
Main Methods:
- An observational, longitudinal study design was employed.
- The Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form health survey assessed depressive symptoms in 416 CABG patients.
- Depressive symptom distribution was correlated with length of stay, readmission, and mortality.
Main Results:
- Pre-CABG depressive symptoms correlated significantly with post-operative depressive symptoms at 6 weeks.
- "Feeling down in the dumps" and "feeling downhearted" scores, as well as overall Mental Health scale scores, showed significant correlations.
- Higher levels of depressive symptoms, particularly "feeling down in the dumps" and overall Mental Health scores, were significantly related to readmission within 6 months.
Conclusions:
- Elevated pre-operative depressive symptoms are associated with increased hospital readmission rates six months post-CABG.
- Nurses are crucial in identifying at-risk patients, providing education, and initiating treatments to prevent readmissions.
- Targeting depressive symptoms may improve post-CABG patient outcomes and reduce healthcare utilization.
Background:
Depressive symptoms are an independent risk factor for outcome in patients with cardiac disease, but their effect on outcome among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting is not well understood.
Objectives:
To determine whether or not clinical variables including length of stay, readmission rates, and mortality are related to patients' level of depressive symptoms before and after coronary artery bypass grafting.
Methods:
An observational, longitudinal design was used. The Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form health survey was used to collect data on depressive symptoms in 416 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. The distribution of depressive symptoms was correlated with length of stay after the procedure, readmission, and mortality.
Results:
The level of depressive symptoms before coronary artery bypass grafting correlated with the level of depressive symptoms at 6 weeks follow-up, both for the individual items "feeling down in the dumps" (r = 0.24, P = .009) and "feeling downhearted" (r = 0.36, P < .001) and for the overall score on the Mental Health scale (r = 0.40, P < .001). Feeling down in the dumps (P = .007) and overall scores on the Mental Health scale (P = .02) were significantly related to readmission within 6 months.
Conclusions:
Higher levels of depressive symptoms before coronary artery bypass grafting are related to higher hospital readmission rates 6 months after the procedure. Nurses can play a pivotal role in determining which patients require evaluation, educating patients, and initiating effective treatment, which may prevent readmission related to depressive symptoms.