Effect of totally thoracoscopic surgery and median sternotomy on psychological status of patients

AIM To compare the effect of totally thoracoscopic surgery (TTS) and median sternotomy (MS) on the psychologic status of patients with congenital heart diseases. METHODS Thirty TTS-treated patients and 33 MS-treated patients were studied from Dec 2007 to May 2008. Symptoms Checklist (SCL-90) was employed to all the patients and the psychological status of the patients one week after operation was analyzed and compared. RESULTS The levels of somatization, anxiety, depression, diet and sleep in patients from TTS group were significantly higher than those in patients from MA group. One week after operation, the psychological status of TTS-treated patients was significantly better than that of MS-treated patients. Gender, age and education were correlated with the psychological status of patients after operation. CONCLUSION TTS has positive impact on the psychological status of the female, people of younger age and people of the higher education.