Impact of psychosocial factors on heart valve surgery.

Abstract

Despite the raising number of cardiac valve surgeries performed each year, it is evident the lack of studies concerning the psychosocial aspects and their impact on prognostic in these patients. This connection is well established on cardiovascular disease and on patients submitted to cardiac surgery of ischemic states, like coronary artery bypass surgery; in these cases recent studies revealed that the presence of depressive and/or anxious symptoms worsened the prognostic with significant impact on the quality of life. The aim of the present literature review it is to take knowledge of the psychosocial factors on patients submitted to valve surgery and the possible pathophysiological hypotheses that may clarify that connection. The identification of non surgical predictive factors, of psychosocial nature, might allow an early approach with a prognostic improvement.