The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Anxiety of Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: A pilot Quasi Randomsied Controlled Trail

Aims and objectives: Many patients experience anxiety while awaiting coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, an experience that adversely affects the surgery and patient outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) program on anxiety level (primary outcome) and blood pressure (secondary outcome) of patients undergoing CABG.

Methods:This was a two-arm parallel-group pilot quasi randomized controlled trail. A total of 60 participants (30 patients for each arm), admitted for CABG surgery, were recruited from Modares Hospital, Tehran. Participants were randomly allocated to either intervention group to receive MBC-therapy or to control group to receive standard care. The Beck’s anxiety questionnaire and a mercury manometer and stethoscope were used to assess participants’ anxiety level and blood pressure (BP), respectively before intervention on admission day (Time 1), after intervention on the day before the surgery (Time 2) and on day three post-surgery (Time 3). Changes in anxiety and blood pressure of participants were assessed using repeated measure ANOVA.

Results:MBCT was found effective in decreasing the anxiety of participants in intervention group compared to control group (p =0.001). Eta coefficient suggested that about 20% reduction in anxiety scores was related to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. The differences between groups were not statically significant for blood pressure (p =0.057).

Conclusion: Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy group experienced less anxiety before and after CABG surgery. Nurses can use mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to help reduce their patients’ anxiety before and after surgery.

Keywords:Mindfulness; Anxiety; Hypertension; Complementary therapies; Coronary artery bypass graft