Patient and surgery-related correlates of preoperative psychological distress

Elevated preoperative distress is associated with adverse perioperative outcomes. This study examined how (1) patient, surgical, and anesthetic-related factors, and (2) physiological indicators of cardiovascular risk are associated with preoperative distress within a mixed non-cardiac surgery cross-sectional sample. We analyzed data from the VISION cohort-Mental Health Supplement (N = 997). The Kessler-6 item Psychological Distress scale assessed preoperative distress, and medical personnel assessed patient physiological and surgical factors. Independent samples t-tests and ANOVAs examined differences in distress across patient, surgical, and anesthetic factors. Bivariate correlations examined relationships between distress and physiological variables. Multivariable linear regressions examined associations between distress and (1) sample and surgery characteristics, and (2) physiological variables. After adjustments, female sex (b = 0.53), Indigenous ethnicity (b = 0.92), higher BMI (b = 0.03), orthopedic surgery (b = 2.25), and preoperative troponin (b = 1.46) were associated with elevated preoperative distress. Preoperative distress has associations with various perioperative factors and enhanced understanding may contribute to risk mitigation.