Effect of family presence on stress response after bypass surgery

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a major surgery that may cause severe surgical stress response (SR). Although the presence of family members in intensive care unit (ICU) is known to benefit intensive care patients socially and emotionally, its effects on surgical SR are unknown.

To investigate the effect of an informed family member (IFM)'s presence in the awakening process in ICU on patients' SR after CABG.

A nonrandomized controlled clinical study was completed with a total of 73 patients: 37 patients in the control (CG) and 36 in the intervention group (IG) underwent CABG surgery. In the CG patients, no family members were taken into the ICU during the awakening process and routine care and treatment practices were continued. In the IG patients, besides routine care and treatment practices, an IFM was taken into the ICU during the awakening process in accordance with the research method. Groups were statistically compared in terms of serum cortisol level which is the one of the main indicators of surgical SR, state anxiety, sedative drug requirements, and duration of intubation, sedation, and ICU stay. A p value <0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.

Presence of an IFM in the ICU was found to be effective in decreasing serum cortisol level, state anxiety, sedative drug requirements, and the duration of intubation, sedation, and ICU stay (p<0.05).

In CABG, the presence of IFM in ICU is effective in reducing SR.