[Relationship of preoperative anxiety-state and anxiety-trait in patients qualified for coronary artery bypass graft surgery to the perception of postoperative pain and other pain complaints].
BACKGROUND
The study investigated relationships of postoperative pain following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery with two variables: (1) level of preoperative anxiety (anxiety-state) and (2) level of anxiety-trait.


METHODS
Eighty three randomly selected male patients (44-66 years old), qualified for CABG surgery, participated in the study. All of them were patients at the Cardiosurgery Medical Centre of Pomeranian Medical University. It was a prospective clinical study. Anxiety-state and anxiety-trait were measured in the preoperative period using a Polish version of STAI. During the postoperative period the following factors of postoperative pain were measured, using a modified version of McGill Pain Questionnaire: average level of perceived postoperative pain, level of extreme pain, pain frequency, degree of pain regression following analgesia and number of other pain complaints.


RESULTS
A significant relationship of the level of preoperative anxiety-state and anxiety-trait with the degree of pain regression within the postoperative wound following the administration of medication (analgesia efficiency) was found (p < 0.01 and 0.001, respectively). Additionally, a significant relationship was found between the level of anxiety-trait with the level of perceived extreme postoperative pain (p < 0.01) and with the number of other pain complaints (p < 0.1).


CONCLUSIONS
This investigation confirmed that relationships of anxiety and pain reported in other research are true also for CABG patients. It has been also observed that patients with a high level of preoperative anxiety-state and stronger anxiety-trait respond worse to analgesic medication than patients with a low level of anxiety-state and anxiety-trait. Therefore, actions undertaken to reduce patients' anxiety may reduce patients' need of analgesic medications.
Greszta
Elzbieta
E
Katedra Neurorehabilitacji Szkoły Wyzszej Psychologii Społecznej ul. Chodakowskiego 19/31, 03-815 Warszawa.
Siemińska
Maria J
MJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000523:psychology*; D004363:Drug Utilization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D011044:Poland; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000700:Analgesics