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The role of depression and anxiety symptoms in hospital readmissions after cardiac surgery

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the association between depression, anxiety and general stress symptoms with hospital readmissions after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Two hundred and twenty six coronary artery bypass graft patients completed baseline self-report measures of depression, anxiety and stress and 222 patients completed these measures after surgery on the hospital ward. The hospital readmission outcomes at six months were analyzed using multivariable proportional hazard models. When analyzed as continuous variables in multivariable analyses, preoperative anxiety and postoperative depression predicted readmissions independent of medical covariates. In multivariable analyses with dichotomized anxiety, depression and stress, more than two-fold increase in readmission risk was attributable to preoperative anxiety and postoperative depression, independent of covariates. These results lend further support to previous research that has shown the symptoms of depression and anxiety are associated with morbidity following coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The findings highlight the need to develop suitable interventions for anxiety and depression among coronary artery bypass graft surgery patients.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award for Mr. P. J. Tully. We kindly thank Nancy Briggs, Department of Public Health, University of Adelaide, for her statistical consulting advice. We also wish to thank Dr. Marie Andrew and Lisa Hallsworth, Flinders Medical Centre, for their assistance with recruiting patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiac and Thoracic Surgical Unit, Department of Medicine, Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders University, Level 6 Flinders Private Hospital, Bedford Park, Adelaide, SA, 5042, Australia

    Phillip J. Tully & Robert A. Baker

  2. School of Psychology, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Phillip J. Tully, Deborah Turnbull & Helen Winefield

  3. Department of Psychiatry, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Helen Winefield

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  1. Phillip J. Tully
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  2. Robert A. Baker
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Correspondence to Robert A. Baker.

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Tully, P.J., Baker, R.A., Turnbull, D. et al. The role of depression and anxiety symptoms in hospital readmissions after cardiac surgery. J Behav Med 31, 281–290 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-008-9153-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-008-9153-8

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