Anxiety in patients before coronary angiography

Abstract

Introduction

Coronary Angiography (CA) allows life saving diagnosis and treatment methods. However, because of its being an invasive intervention, it causes patient to live through fear and anxiety due to the process.

Objective

The present study was carried as a descriptive study in order to determine the anxiety condition in patients before coronary angiography.

Method

296 patients to be subjected to the coronary angiography were included in the study. The research data gathered with individual information form and State Trait Anxiety Inventory of Spielberger.

Findings

It was found that the anxiety points of the patients changed between 28 and 55 and the average anxiety score was 41.22 + 6.16. It was determined that the anxiety scores were high in the patients with a body mass index of 25 and above, using cigarette, having another chronic disease, previously diagnosed with heart disease, having someone in his/her family who has heart disease story, not being introduced to the angiography team before the operation, having angiography story, having angiography complication story and not having health insurance.

Results

It was found that patients lived through anxiety either at small or medium levels before coronary angiography. It is needed that the anxieties of the patients should be determined before the angiography and the approaches to decrease anxiety should be applied, the patients should be introduced to the angiography team before the operation.