Anxiety and Depression Symptomatology Related to Inspiratory Muscle Strength and Functional Capacity in Preoperative Cardiac Surgery Patients: A Preliminary Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Poor psychological health and cardiorespiratory fitness prior to open heart surgery (OHS) might be predictors of postoperative pulmonary complications that lead to morbidity and mortality. Assessment of physical and psychological conditions should be considered for patients receiving OHS, to possibly prevent these complications. This study investigates how inspiratory muscle strength (IMS) and functional capacity (FC) relate to the psychological health of preoperative cardiac surgery patients. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was designed before OHS; the 6-minute walk test and IMS were performed on patients who were admitted for OHS. All participants were requested to complete Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Pearson correlation and hierarchal regression analysis were performed to determine the relationships between IMS and FC and psychological conditions (anxiety and depression). RESULTS: Overall, 36 males and 28 females aged 56.89±10.23 years were recruited. Significant relationships were observed between IMS and anxiety and depression symptoms (r = –0.33 and r = –0.27, respectively). Anxiety was negatively related to FC (r = –0.25). These relationships remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) (∆R(2) = 0.11 and ∆R(2) = 0.09). In addition, anxiety was also related to FC after controlling for age, sex, and BMI (∆R(2) = 0.09). CONCLUSION: Among patients undergoing OHS, those with a higher level of depression or anxiety had a lower cardiorespiratory fitness than those with a low level of depression or anxiety.