Risk factors for perioperative anxiety in laparoscopic surgery

Our aim is to investigate the anxiety status of the patient before elective cholecystectomy and to analyze the relation between the level of anxiety for a given operation type (laparoscopic and open cholecystectomy) and the corresponding demographic and social data.

A total of 333 patients undergoing cholecystectomy due to cholelithiasis were included in the study; 218 patients (66.1%) received laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 115 patients (33.9%) were treated with open cholecystectomy. The Beck Anxiety Inventory was given to all patients to be completed. We evaluated levels of anxiety in 3 groups as follows: 0 to 15, low to mild anxiety; 16 to 25, moderate anxiety; 26 to 63, severe anxiety. The following patient information remained confidential and was recorded: age and sex, associated disease, civil status, educational status, having open/laparoscopic cholecystectomy, previous knowledge of the operation, job status, economic status, health insurance, and having a child in need of care.

The following criteria were determined: the most determinant factors in differentiating between the score groups were having a low level of education, being of the female sex, being single, and having laparoscopic operation; the factors of being a homemaker and over the age of 25 years were determined to have significant effects.

When analyzing the results that may appear during the intraoperative and postoperative period, understanding preoperative anxiety, analyzing the risk factors in depth, and taking the necessary precautions are all considerations that need to be the primary objectives of operators who are involved with laparoscopic, endoscopic, and robotic surgery.