Planning an open heart surgery can create an unexpected situation for the patients. This can lead to insecurity, increased anxiety and concerns about the future, which frequently becomes blurred. Our objective was to analyze the possible links between perioperative anxiety and postoperative course of patients. Material and methods: We conducted a prospective study at the Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic Târgu Mureș during 01. 11. 2013-15. 02. 2014. We filled out a detailed questionnaire with patients the day before surgery, then we tracked their evolution daily until the 10th day after surgery and on the 20th postoperative day by telephone. Results: 82 patients data was processed (64.6% male, 35.3% female), with a mean age of 60±2.5 years. The patient’s condition was the worst on the day of surgery. The incidence of atrial fibrillation was the highest on the second and third day after surgery and it has developed in 10.9% patients. We found significant correlations between perioperative anxiety and development of atrial fibrillation in the postoperative period, but no correlation between anxiety and other complications. Conclusions: Perioperative anxiety can trigger the development of new cardiac arrhythmias, but does not affect the appearance of other complications.
Keywords: anxiety, cardiac surgery, atrial fibrillation