Symptoms Experienced by Jordanian Men and Women After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery.

Background: Patients who undergo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery experience a wide spectrum of physical and psychological symptoms after surgery. Studies have shown that symptoms usually decline over time; however, some can persist up to months after discharge.

Objectives: This study aims to assess symptoms experienced by patients after CABG surgery and any associations with demographic variables.

Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional design was used. A convenience sample of 100 Jordanian post-CABG surgery patients was selected from 5 hospitals in Jordan. Patients were surveyed using the Cardiac Symptom Survey. To examine the associations between the symptoms experienced and selected demographic variables, χ(2) analyses were used.

Results: Chest incisional pain (65%) was the most frequently perceived symptom by the participants. Leg swelling (60%) was also reported by a nearly equivalent number of respondents. Symptoms like fluttering (15%), angina (8%), and depression (3%) were reported by a handful of participants. Three symptoms (poor appetite, sleeping problem, and fatigue) had significant associations with demographic variables.

Discussion: The identification of frequently perceived symptoms among post-CABG patients enables health care providers to focus their assessments in identifying and alleviating them. The demographic associations identified facilitate nurses to forecast certain specific symptoms in targeted populations, like women are more prone to experience poor appetite and sleeping difficulties and strengthen these groups with strategies to prevent themselves from these distressing symptoms.