Relationship between depression and health-related quality of life in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting: a MOTIV-CABG substudy

Depression is associated with higher risk of death and major adverse cardiac events among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This study aimed to investigate the impact of preoperative depression on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) changes over the first 12 postoperative months.

Patients were the participants in the MOTIV-CABG study that was a single-center, non-stratified, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, phase 4 trial, conducted between January 2006 and February 2012 at University Hospital, Besançon, France. The effect of preoperative depression (measured using the Beck Depression Inventory, BDI) on changes in SF-36 component summary scores [mental (MCS) and physical (PCS)] over time was tested using a generalized linear model for repeated measures. The presence of depression was defined as a BDI score >3.

There were 359 patients in this study: 217 (60.4 %) had no preoperative depression, and 142 (39.6 %) had preoperative depression. During follow-up, the MCS and PCS scores increased in both groups. The improvement was of smaller magnitude in the group of patients depressed baseline as compared to those with no depression (difference in LSM = −7.45, p < 10⁻³, for MCS, and −6.80, p < 10⁻³, for PCS).

Preoperative depression has a negative impact on HRQoL improvement during postoperative follow-up after CABG. It seems important to detect depression before CABG to begin antidepressant therapy and improve patients’ HRQoL.