Telephone-Delivered Collaborative Care for Treating Post-CABG Depression

Abstract

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is one of the most common and costly medical procedures performed in the United States.¹ Its main indications are the relief of angina and improvement in quality of life.² Yet as many as half of post-CABG patients report depressive symptoms in the perioperative period,³ are more likely to experience a decreased health-related quality of life (HRQL) and functional status,⁴ continued chest pains,^5,6 and inreased rates of rehospitalization and death following CABG surgery independent of cardiac status, medical comorbidity, or the extent of surgery.^7-11