Optimizing preoperative expectations leads to a shorter length of hospital stay in CABG patients - Further results of the randomized controlled PSY-HEART trial

TY - JOUR

T1 - Optimizing preoperative expectations leads to a shorter length of hospital stay in CABG patients - Further results of the randomized controlled PSY-HEART trial

AU - Auer, Charlotte J

AU - Laferton, Johannes A C

AU - Shedden-Mora, Meike C

AU - Salzmann, Stefan

AU - Moosdorf, Rainer

AU - Rief, Winfried

N1 - Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PY - 2017/6

Y1 - 2017/6

N2 - OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of a preoperative expectation-optimizing psychological intervention on length of stay in the hospital and time spent in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery.METHODS: In a randomized controlled trial, 124 patients prior to undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or CABG combined with heart valve surgery were randomized to either a) standard medical care alone (SMC) or an additional preoperative intervention, b) an additional expectation manipulation intervention (EXPECT) to optimize patients' expectations, or c) an additional supportive therapy (SUPPORT), containing the same amount of therapeutic attention but without a specific focus. Participants were followed-up post-operatively to assess their length of hospital stay and the time spent in the ICU.RESULTS: Patients in both psychological intervention groups spent significantly less days in the hospital then patients in the SMC group (M(EXPECT)=12.62, M(SUPPORT)=14.13, M(SMC)=17.27, p=0.028). There was a significant linear trend (F(1112)=7.68, p=0.009) showing that the more specific the intervention patients received the shorter they stayed in the hospital. The effect of the intervention on time spent in the ICU was only marginally significant (M(EXPECT)=103.76, M(SUPPORT)=103.10, M(SMC)=158.45, p=0.066).CONCLUSION: Changing patients' preoperative expectations via a psychological intervention leads to less days spent in the hospital. The psychological interventions are associated with positive cost-benefit ratios. Specific psychological mechanisms underlying the effect of our intervention remain unclear and need to be investigated further.TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01407055).

AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of a preoperative expectation-optimizing psychological intervention on length of stay in the hospital and time spent in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery.METHODS: In a randomized controlled trial, 124 patients prior to undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or CABG combined with heart valve surgery were randomized to either a) standard medical care alone (SMC) or an additional preoperative intervention, b) an additional expectation manipulation intervention (EXPECT) to optimize patients' expectations, or c) an additional supportive therapy (SUPPORT), containing the same amount of therapeutic attention but without a specific focus. Participants were followed-up post-operatively to assess their length of hospital stay and the time spent in the ICU.RESULTS: Patients in both psychological intervention groups spent significantly less days in the hospital then patients in the SMC group (M(EXPECT)=12.62, M(SUPPORT)=14.13, M(SMC)=17.27, p=0.028). There was a significant linear trend (F(1112)=7.68, p=0.009) showing that the more specific the intervention patients received the shorter they stayed in the hospital. The effect of the intervention on time spent in the ICU was only marginally significant (M(EXPECT)=103.76, M(SUPPORT)=103.10, M(SMC)=158.45, p=0.066).CONCLUSION: Changing patients' preoperative expectations via a psychological intervention leads to less days spent in the hospital. The psychological interventions are associated with positive cost-benefit ratios. Specific psychological mechanisms underlying the effect of our intervention remain unclear and need to be investigated further.TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01407055).

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.04.008

DO - 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.04.008

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 28606503

VL - 97

SP - 82

EP - 89

JO - J PSYCHOSOM RES

JF - J PSYCHOSOM RES

SN - 0022-3999

ER -