Consequences of the prolonged waiting time for patient candidates for heart surgery.

Objective: To assess mortality and the psychological repercussions of the prolonged waiting time for candidates for heart surgery.

Methods: From July 1999 to May 2000, using a standardized questionnaire, we carried out standardized interviews and semi-structured psychological interviews with 484 patients with coronary heart disease, 121 patients with valvular heart diseases, and 100 patients with congenital heart diseases.

Results: The coefficients of mortality (deaths per 100 patients/year) were as follows: patients with coronary heart disease, 5.