The recovery process in the elderly after cardiac surgery is influenced not only by clinical cardiac conditions, but also by comorbidity, cognitive decline and disability. We evaluated the relationship between clinical objective and self-perceived factors and their influence on functional recovery in 204 consecutive, over-70s pts who were admitted into an intensive hospital rehabilitation program following cardiac surgery. The variables taken into consideration were: comorbidity (Charlson index), length of hospital stay and complications in cardiac surgery and rehabilitation, disability (nursing needs score index), functional status (6-min walking test), left ventricular EF, number of training sessions, self-perceived health status (EuroQol questionnaire), emotional impairment (anxiety/depression, CBA-2.0/interview).
Results: Functional capacity: the distance walked was 198 +/- 103 m at admission and 287 +/- 121 m at discharge (p < 0.0001). Only the nursing needs score index resulted as a weak, independent predictor of the distance walked at admission (r2 = 0.14, p < 0.001, beta = 0-.21), which (beta = 0.49), together with complications during rehabilitation (beta = -0.15), self-perceived health status at discharge (beta = 0.15) and number of training sessions (beta = 0.20), was independently correlated with the distance walked at time of discharge (r2 = 050, p < 0.0001). Patients mood: anxiety correlated with depression. Emotional scores did not correlate with functional measures. Patients self-perceived health status: only the nursing needs score index was a weak, independent predictor of well-being at entry (r2 = 0.15, p < 0.0001, beta = -0.29), which, in turn, was the only predictor of perception at discharge (r2 = 0.33, p < 0.0001, beta = 0-.42).
Conclusions: In an intensive hospital rehabilitation program following cardiac surgery in patients over 70 a) there was no correlation between clinical and psychological variables; b) anxiety and depression were associated, but neither influenced the recovery process nor correlated to health status perception; c) functional impairment was strongly influenced by nursing needs which also affected the self-perceived health status; d) both functional and perception recovery were influenced by disability at time of admission and reacted positively after rehabilitation.