Relationship between selected factors and length of hospital stay in coronary artery bypass graft patients.

ABSTRACT

Objective: One of the health outcomes indicating the quality of care is the length of hospital stay. This descriptive research aimed to examine the associations between psychological factors (mood state), operative factors (cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time, type of surgery) and post-operative length of hospital stay (LOS) in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients. Methods: A convenient sample of 109 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients admitted to a university hospital in central Thailand to have elective CABG surgery for the first time were approached. Data were collected by using a socio-demographic and clinical profile with the Profile of Mood State Brief-Thai (POMS-B Thai). Data were analyzed using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation and Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient to answer the research questions. Results: The majority of the participants were males with an average age of 63.1 ± 9.5 years. The postoperative LOS ranged from 4 to 15 days with the average being 7.3 days. The total mood disturbance score averaged 10.5 points. The most common negative mood states were confusion and anxiety. The majority of the patients had only CABG surgery with an average CPB time of 89.9 minutes (SD 40.1). The significant factors associated with post-operative length of hospital stay were type of surgery and CPB time, while mood state was not found to be significantly related to LOS. Conclusion: In order to promote patients’ recovery by shortening LOS, a rehabilitation program established by a health care team should be tailored specifically for the type of surgery and CPB time following CABG surgery.