Sleep Quality after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: Comparing Pulsatile and Nonpulsatile Pump Flow

Poor postoperative sleep quality is a common problem in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of pulsatile and nonpulsatile pump flow on sleep quality of these patients. In this clinical trial, 52 patients undergoing on pump CABG surgery with the roller pump were randomly divided into two equal groups of 26 patients: group 1 using pulsatile pump flow and group 2 nonpulsatile pump flow while the heart was arrested. Sleep score of both groups was evaluated by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire 2 days before operation and 1 month after operation, and they were compared with each other. Analysis was performed with SPSS software version 22 (SPSS for Windows Inc., Chicago, IL) using the independent t-test, chi-square test, and Fisher exact test. Both groups were the same in demographic characteristics and risk factors such as age, gender, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoking, body mass index, and preoperative ejection fraction. Operation data showed no difference between two groups considering cardiopulmonary bypass time and cardiac arrest time. Preoperative sleep quality score of both groups had no significant difference (p = .84). One month postoperative sleep quality score of the pulsatile group was significantly better than that of the nonpulsatile group (p = .04). Using pulsatile flow cardiopulmonary bypass can effectively decrease postoperative sleep disorders in comparison to nonpulsatile flow.