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CONTINUING TO FEEL BLUE AFTER BYPASS SURGERY ADDS TO RISK OF MORTALITY | |
| Contact: John M. Ruiz, Ph.D. Phone: (509) 335-8034 Email: ruizjx@wsu.edu Embargoed until: March 5, 2005 |
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Vancouver, BC, Canada - Although feelings of depression are common among patients awaiting coronary artery bypass surgery, the procedure usually relieves both physical and emotional suffering. Now researchers are reporting that patients who continue to experience feelings of depression in the months after bypass surgery may be at an increased risk of mortality. That is the finding of a study examining the role of psychological factors in recovery among coronary artery bypass surgery patients. The study of 307 men and women conducted by Dr. John M. Ruiz of Washington State University and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University were presented at the American Psychosomatic Society Annual Meeting, held March 2-5 in Vancouver, British Columbia. According to Dr. Ruiz, researchers have known for some time that feelings of depression after bypass surgery are important warning signs of future problems, including additional heart attacks and death. "These new findings suggest that the risk is particularly important among patients who were feeling depressed before surgery and whose mood fails to improve in the months after surgery." Patients completed measures of depression prior to surgery, and at 6 and 18 months after surgery. Researchers then monitored the health of patients for more than 10 years. Results indicate that patients who continued to report feelings of depression 18 months after surgery were more likely to die during the follow-up period than patients whose mood had improved. These findings suggest the need to monitor feelings of depression both before and after surgery and intervene if these symptoms fail to improve. | |
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Psychosomatic Medicine is the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Psychosomatic Society, published bimonthly. For information about the journal, contact Vicki White, Managing Editor for Manuscript Production,
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