CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Thorac Cardiovasc Surg
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1758824
Original Cardiovascular

Does Mental Distress Predict Cardiac Surgical Outcome?

1   Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
,
Jörg Wiltink
2   Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
,
Ahmed Ghazy
1   Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
,
Dorothee Bremerich
3   HELIOS Hospitals Schwerin, Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
,
Anna Lena Emrich
1   Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
,
Manfred E. Beutel
2   Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
,
Hendrik Treede
1   Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Background Mental distress is suspected to influence the morbidity of cardiac patients. Evaluating mental distress in cardiac patients is rare and the impact on surgical outcome is still not certified.

Methods In 94 cardiac surgical patients, mental distress was assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). We defined length of stay in hospital and on intensive care unit as well as time of mechanical ventilation as outcomes on surgery. Age, physical activity, diabetes, overweight, PHQ-4, and an inflammation marker were tested for their predictive value on outcomes.

Results Reportedly prevalence of generalized anxiety was 16.0% and depression rate was 13.8%. Length of stay in hospital was 13 ± 8 days, time of mechanical ventilation was 10 (0–1,207) hours, and length of stay on intensive care unit was 3 ± 6 days. Length of stay in hospital was significantly predicted by age (p = 0.048), low physical activity (p = 0.029), and high C-reactive protein (CRP; p = 0.031). Furthermore, CRP was the only significant predictor of time of mechanical ventilation and length of stay on intensive care unit.

Conclusion Outcome was not predicted by mental distress. However, inflammation marker CRP was predictive for outcome, potentially caused by higher cardiovascular risk profile. Additionally, depression was referred to be associated with inflammation. Probably, the small sample and the timing of assessment were responsible for the missing relation between mental distress and outcome. We presume a relation with low physical activity and depression. Nevertheless, further randomized studies are needed to pay more attention on patients' distress to intervene preoperatively to improve postoperative outcome.

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 23 June 2022

Accepted: 22 August 2022

Article published online:
29 November 2022

© 2022. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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