Risk factors for anxiety and depression in the preoperative period of cardiac surg

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the risk factors of anxiety and depression in the preoperative period of cardiac surgery. Method: This is a sectional study, conducted between January and June 2017, in a university hospital of reference in cardiology in northeastern Brazil. A total of 174 patients were evaluated using their own questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Odds Ratios were calculated to assess the risk. Results: In the assessment of anxiety, significant risk factors were: female gender, years of study, absence of companion, previous experience of cardiac surgery and cancellation of surgery during hospitalization. As for depression, risk factors were revealed: female sex and hospitalization time greater than 15 days. Conclusion: The nurse has instruments available to recognize anxiety and depression, including nursing diagnoses and validated scales, as well as having a preponderant role in these cases. It should be an institutional challenge to streamline the service in order to avoid prolongation of hospitalization and cancellations of surgery for structural reasons.