Psychological Reactions to Cardiac Operations: An Historical Perspective

Abstract

The impact of heart surgery has many ramifications for the patient. With studies of mitral commissurotomies in the early 1950's, we begin to learn of man's response to newer surgical and medical procedures which radically change the course of life. In the area of heart surgery, the dramatic and prevalent postoperative psychoses occurring in intensive care units have been discussed, along with the intimate relationship existing between preoperative emotional slate and postoperative outcome. The symbolism of the heart, as the life-sustaining organ, the meaning of death, and the importance of the motivation to live are three interrelated facets representative of man's response to having his heart operated on. New technology in physical medicine leads to new insights in psychological medicine and thereby underscores the pressing need for greater collaboration amongst all specialists concerned with patient care.