Psychiatric Disturbances among Patients after Heart Surgery

Background : Heart surgery is one of the most effective methods of treating cardiovascular diseases. Meanwhile, the anticipation of heart surgery is severely distressing for patients and may cause psychiatric disturbances. Aim: This study aimed to assess the psychiatric disturbances among patients after heart surgery. Design: A descriptive research design was utilized in this study. Setting: This study was carried out in cardiac departments in Ain-Shams specialized hospital. Subjects: Convenient sample of 108 patients immediately after transferring from the critical care unit to the cardiac ward. Data collection tools: 1) Interviewing Questionnaire to assess socio-demographic data and medical history of the patient after heart surgery. 2) Depression, Anxiety, and stress scale, and 3) Brief psychiatric rating scale. Results: Slightly more than half of the studied sample have mild depression, severe stress, and anxiety, and moderate psychiatric symptoms after heart surgery. Also, there were positive correlations between total stress, depression, and anxiety and the total levels of psychiatric symptoms. Conclusion: This study concluded that more than half of the studied patients have mild depression, severe anxiety, severe stress, and moderate psychiatric symptoms after heart surgery. Recommendations: Constructing and implementing a counseling program geared toward patients after heart surgery to support and guide them on how to avoid and/or deal with stress, depression, and anxiety after heart surgery.