Psychiatric morbidity in patients undergoing heart, heart and lung, or lung transplantation

Objectives: To determine the rate of psychiatric disorder in people undergo ing heart and/or lung transplantation; to identify the associations of psyc hiatric disorder in this group. Method: Preoperative assessments were carri ed out on an 18-month sample of consecutive admissions to a regional unit f ur heart and lung transplantation in the UK. Assessment included psychiatri c morbidity, sexual dysfunction, quality of life, and demographic and clini cal characteristics. Results: Seventy-six of 79 eligible subjects took part in the assessment. Thirty (39%) were suffering from a psychiatric disorder , the most common being major depressive disorder. Forty-four (58%) reporte d sexual dysfunction. Clinically significant psychiatric morbidity was asso ciated with a history of treatment for mental disorder, unemployment, and l ength of physical illness. Patients with psychiatric disorder reported poor er quality of life on the SF-36, with lower scores on subscales for general health perception, social functioning, and energy/vitality. Conclusion: Th ere is a substantial rate of psychiatric disorder in people undergoing hear t and/or lung transplantation. Risk is higher in people with a history of p sychiatric Vulnerability and current illness-related factors. Preoperative psychiatric assessment and intervention in some patients may be a valuable part of their clinical care. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights rese rved.