Determination of Anxiety Levels and Factors Affecting Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

Background/aim: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) is an alternative treatment for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are considered high-risk for surgery. Determine the anxiety levels of patients, who will undergo TAVI surgery, and factors affecting anxiety in the pre- and postoperative period. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Sifa hospital in Izmir, Turkey between September 2014 and June 2015. Data were collected in the cardiology outpatient clinic for preoperative data, and in the coronary intensive care unit and cardiology outpatient clinic for postoperative data. The data were collected by interviewing patients who presented with aortic stenosis or aortic insufficiency and underwent TAVI surgery. Stress status of the patients before and after TAVI was measured with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results: The mean age of 34 patients participating in the study was 78.21(±6.67), and 61.8 % of the patients were women. The mean state anxiety scores of all patients were 45.5(±12.1) before the surgery, 36.4(±10.6) after the surgery. The anxiety experienced before the operation was moderate to high; and after the operation was lower. Conclusion: The patients were experiencing moderate to high and levels of anxiety. The factors affecting the state anxiety scores in the preoperative period were the age of the patient and the presence of chronic diseases. The factors affecting the stress of the patients in the pre- and post-TAVI period were subjective fear felt due to the stressful situation in the preoperative period were found to be age and the presence of chronic disease.