Abstract
Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of morbid-mortality, although better outcomes and lower mortality of age-adjusted coronary artery disease were registered since 1980s, especially in high-income populations, sustaining the cost effective of cardiac prevention methods. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the role of cardiac rehabilitation in improving psycho-emotional risk scores: the Hamilton Depression (HAM-D) and Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients, in less than one week after cardiovascular surgery and in 6 months follow-up after the engagement in the cardiac recovery program. Methods – During 01.05.2015 – 01.03.2017, CABG was performed in 100 patients, aged 40-80 years old, who followed rehabilitation in the Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Clinic. The mean age of the patients under study was 65.70 ± 9.91 years old. Results – In the fi rst phase of the cardiovascular rehabilitation program, the mean values were: 16 points for HAM-D, and 25 points on HAM-A scale. By comparing the Phase I and Phase III results, the median HAM-D score improved more than 50%, and HAM-A about 36% (p<0.05). Conclusion – The study highlighted the role of early rehabilitation after CABG surgery and the HAM-D and HAM-A scores improvement, emphasizing the importance of including psycho-emotional status assessment in the management of the patient who benefi ted from cardiac surgery. Apart from clinical data and the cardiovascular risk scores, the psycho-emotional risk stratification can provide important information regarding outcomes and prognosis.
Highlights
The European Guidelines on Cardiovascular Prevention from 2016, developed by ten European societies, promote the prevention of cardiovascular diseases as a coordinated set of population-based or individual-directed actions, targeting to cancel or to minimize the impact of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and associated deficiencies on patients and their family caregivers, on physicians, as well as on the social system, health care and health insurance system[1]
We aimed to evaluate the benefits of the cardiovascular rehabilitation program upon the Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Scales scores in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery
By using our 100 patients who benefited from enrollment into the cardiovascular rehabilitation program, the descriptive statistics estimates the level of depression and anxiety immediately after cardiac surgery and later on, after 6 months, highlighting the importance of the program in ameliorating the mental and emotional mood of the patients (Table 1)
Summary
The European Guidelines on Cardiovascular Prevention from 2016, developed by ten European societies, promote the prevention of cardiovascular diseases as a coordinated set of population-based or individual-directed actions, targeting to cancel or to minimize the impact of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and associated deficiencies on patients and their family caregivers, on physicians, as well as on the social system, health care and health insurance system[1]. The questionnaire, designed for adults, was performed to assess the severity of low mood, depression, insomnia, the degree of anxiety in patients already diagnosed as suffering from neurotic anxiety states, fears, and, among the somatic symptoms, there were the cardiovascular and respiratory ones[4]. The Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), among the first scales, was designed to measure the severity of anxiety symptoms, and it is widely used in psychiatry as well as in other specialties, for clinical and research purposes[5]. The 14 aspects of the scale include symptoms that measure psychic anxiety and somatic anxiety, describing mental agitation, psychological stress and the relation between physical symptoms and anxiety[6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
