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Psychological Risk Factors for Increased Post-Operative Length of Hospital Stay Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

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To date, researchers have examined the role of psychological factors in longer-term adaptation to coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), but few have investigated the role of such factors in the immediate post-operative period. Thus, the current study examined psychological risk factors for increased post-operative length of hospital stay in 119 consecutive elective CABG patients (100 men and 19 women). When controlling for operative/post-operative factors, medical factors accounted for 24.5% of the variance. However, pre-operative psychological factors accounted for a further 4.4% of the variance, with increased depression and lower PTSD symptomatology identified as significant independent risk factors for longer post-operative length of hospital stay. Hence, while post-operative length of hospital stay is largely determined by medical factors, psychological factors also influence this outcome. Further research is required to replicate the current findings and to determine the mechanisms through which these variables may act.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by Flinders University RSM and URB grants to Melissa Oxlad. We thank the staff at the Cardio-Thoracic Surgical Unit, in particular, Trish Smith, Tina Wong, and Mary Ann Duggan, for their assistance with administrative information, patient recruitment and access to medical data. We thank Kylie Lange for assistance with statistical methods and we also thank the cardiac patients for their participation in this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    Melissa Oxlad & Tracey D. Wade

  2. Cardiothoracic Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    John Stubberfield, Robert Stuklis & James Edwards

  3. School of Psychology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia

    Melissa Oxlad

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  1. Melissa Oxlad
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  2. John Stubberfield
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Correspondence to Melissa Oxlad.

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Oxlad, M., Stubberfield, J., Stuklis, R. et al. Psychological Risk Factors for Increased Post-Operative Length of Hospital Stay Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery. J Behav Med 29, 179–190 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-005-9043-2

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