INCIDENCE AND PATTERNS OF DEPRESSION FOLLOWING CORONARY-ARTERY BYPASSGRAFT-SURGERY

A number of studies have examined the impact of coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) on mood by means of cross-sectional analyses. Th ese studies have provided a ''snapshot'' view of the numbers of patien ts showing psychological disturbance. To examine both the incidence an d patterns of depression, 121 patients undergoing routine elective CAB G were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively at 8 days, 8 weeks, and 12 months on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The incidence f indings suggested a small, transient increase in the number of patient s with depression shortly after surgery. The preoperative score on the BDI was the best predictor of postoperative depression at all times o f measurement. Discriminant function analysis on the patterns of depre ssion indicated that trait anxiety maximally separated those patients who were depressed pre- and postoperatively from those only depressed shortly after the operation. The findings emphasize the value of exami ning patients' levels of anxiety and depression prior to surgery. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.