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Published on: March 27, 2018
Depressive symptoms and mortality two years after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) in men
Matthew M Burg1, M Cristina Benedetto, Robert Soufer
1Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven Campus, West Haven, Connecticut 06516, USA. mburg@attglobal.net
Insights
Pre-surgery depression significantly predicts long-term cardiac mortality in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Elevated depressive symptoms independently contribute to mortality risk after CABG surgery.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Psychiatry
- Medical Research
Background:
- Depression is linked to mortality in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients.
- Prior studies haven't fully explored presurgical depression's impact on post-CABG mortality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if presurgical depressive symptoms independently predict 2-year cardiac mortality after CABG.
Main Methods:
- Eighty-nine veteran patients undergoing nonemergent CABG were assessed for depressive symptoms using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) pre-surgery.
- Mortality risk was evaluated using medical comorbidity and Revised Illness Perception Scale (RIS).
Main Results:
- Univariate analysis showed significant contributions to 2-year cardiovascular mortality from RIS, congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and elevated depressive symptoms.
- Multivariate analysis confirmed that RIS and elevated depressive symptoms remained significant predictors of 2-year cardiovascular mortality.
Conclusions:
- Elevated depressive symptoms before CABG surgery are an independent predictor of long-term mortality.
- Further research with larger, diverse samples is needed to confirm findings and explore underlying mechanisms.
Objectives:
Depression has been related to mortality in patients with CAD and to medical morbidity after CABG; however, prior studies have not examined the contribution of presurgical depressive symptoms to mortality after CABG. The purpose of this study was to determine the independent contribution of presurgical symptoms of depression to 2-year cardiac mortality after CABG.
Methods:
Eighty-nine consecutive veteran nonemergent CABG patients recruited between December 1996 and June 1998 completed the BDI 1 to 7 days before surgery. Mortality risk was assessed by medical co-morbidity and RIS.
Results:
Significant univariate contributions to two-year cardiovascular mortality were found for RIS (chi2 = 6.57, p <.01), history of CHF (chi2 = 4.94, p <.02), history of COPD (chi2 = 5.19, p <.02), and elevated depressive symptoms (chi2 = 4.70, p <.03). The multivariate model revealed that the RIS (chi2 = 4.70, p <.03) and elevated depressive symptoms (chi2 = 3.86, p <.05) remained significant in the prediction of 2-year cardiovascular mortality, with no other variables being found significant.
Conclusions:
Elevated depressive symptoms before CABG surgery appear to be an important independent contributor to long-term mortality. Future research should focus on replication with larger, more diverse samples, and identification of pathophysiological mechanisms.
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