Anxiety and depression status among patients waiting for heart transplantation surgery at different time points / 中华器官移植杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective Although heart transplantation surgery has become more common,little is known about the psychological status of patients waiting for a heart transplant.Method Ninety-three patients registered for heart transplantation from March 2013 to March 2014 in a large general hospital in Shanghai were assessed by a psychiatrist using the Hamilton Depression Scale (17 items) and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale.Out of them 36 were preoperatively admitted to the Cardiac Surgery Department.The scales were assessed repeatedly at the 1st day,3rd day,7th day,10th day and so on until the operation took place.Result The mean scores of HAMD and HAMA of 93 patients in the waiting list were separately 13.11 ±3.81 and 14.20±4.57.Among them 18(19.4％) were classified as moderately depressed,31(33.3％) had moderately anxious symptoms,and 14(14.1％) had severe anxious symptoms.Thirty-six patients were preoperatively admitted to hospital.Their mean scores of HAMD and HAMA were separately 13.19-± 3.82 and 16.17 ± 4.35.Among them 7(19.4％) were classified as moderate depression at the time of admission,16 (44.4％) had moderately anxious symptoms and 9 (25.0％) had severe anxious symptoms.The scores of HAMD had significant difference (t =3.383,P =0.002) before and after admission.Paired t test was separately conducted to analyze the first assessment and the 3rd-day assessment of HAMA and HAMD total scores after admission of all the inpatients.The results showed the scores were statistically different (for HAMA,t =2.786,P =0.009; for HAMD,t =14.024,P =0.000).Repeated ANOVA was used to analyze the recipients who had three assessments.The results had statistical difference (for HAMA,F =4.568,P=0.020; for HAMD,F=5.626,P =0.034) and the difference of HAMD score at different time points had a linear trend (F =8.273,P =0.013).Conclusion After hospital admission,the depression symptoms will be significantly alleviated.When waiting for the transplant in the hospital,the anxiety symptoms alleviate slightly in three days and then aggravate significantly.The depression symptoms alleviate slightly continuously.