LACK OF SOCIAL-PARTICIPATION OR RELIGIONS STRENGTH AND COMFORT AS RISK-FACTORS FOR DEATH AFTER CARDIAC-SURGERY IN THE ELDERLY

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of social su pport and religion to mortality after elective open heart surgery in o lder patients. Of the 232 patients included in the study, 21 died with in 6 months of surgery. Three biomedical variables were significant pr edictors of mortality and selected as adjustment variables for a multi variate analysis: history of previous cardiac surgery; greater impairm ent in presurgery basic activities of daily living; and older age. Amo ng the social support and religion variables, two were consistent pred ictors of mortality in the multivariate analyses: lack of participatio n in social or community groups and absence of strength and comfort fr om religion. These results suggest that in older persons lack of parti cipation in groups and absence of strength and comfort in religion are independently related to risk for death during the B-month period aft er cardiac surgery.