People who are clinically depressed get less benefit from coronary artery bypass surgery.

It's already known that depression has an adverse effect on heart disease, impairing recovery after a heart attack, for instance. A new study from researchers at Emory University School of Medicine now highlights a further aspect of this problem.

They studied a group of 1,045 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery - a standard operation intended to improve the blood supply to the heart by replacing a blocked section of coronary artery. The hope is that the surgery will greatly improve people's physical functioning, enabling them to carry on with activities of daily living without being disabled by chest pain, fatigue or breathlessness.

The researchers divided the participants into three groups - not depressed, mildly depressed, and clinically depressed. Those in the latter group did less well, six months after their operation, compared to the first two groups. It is not clear why depression has this effect - or whether it is a byproduct of heart disease or a contributing factor. But the study underlines the importance of careful treatment of clinical depression if the patient is to get the most out of heart bypass surgery.

Source

American College of Cardiology Meeting 31st March 2003