Background: Patients who undergo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery often experience both physical and psychological challenges in the post-acute phase and thus follow an integrated rehabilitation program.
Objective: This study aimed to examine changes in anxiety, depression, physical health, and mental health from admission to discharge and during a follow-up period up to 6 months after discharge.
Methods: This study investigated longitudinal trends in the psychological and physical health of 608 patients (aged 65.75 ± 9.03 years, 80% male) undergoing a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program following CABG surgery. Repeated measures linear mixed models were used.
Results: Significant reductions in depression (b = −7.30,
p < 0.001) and anxiety (b = −2.22,
p < 0.001) from admission to discharge were predicted by factors such as age (dep: b = 0.08,
p < 0.001), male sex (dep: b = −1.15,
p < 0.001), psychological symptoms (depression predicted by anxiety: b = 0.24,
p < 0.001; anxiety predicted by depression: b = 1.25,
p < 0.001), and the absence of preexisting stress (dep: b = 0.68,
p < 0.001; anx: b = 1.68,
p < 0.018). During the follow-up period from 45 days to 6 months postdischarge, physical health significantly improved (b = 3.77,
p < 0.001), as predicted by age (b = −0.14,
p < 0.001), male sex (b = 3.22,
p < 0.001), mental health (b = 0.14,
p < 0.001), and ejection fraction >35% (b = 3.56,
p < 0.05).
Discussion: These findings highlight the importance of considering both physical and psychological factors when designing rehabilitation programs for postacute CABG patients.
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