Anxiety levels in patients candidate for coronary artery angiography

One of the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in coronary artery disease is coronary artery angiography. Due to the invasiveness of this method, most patients experience anxiety before it is performed. Anxiety causes physiological responses in the body that can increase the incidence of complications in these patients. This study aimed to investigate anxiety levels in patients who were candidate for coronary artery angiography. In a descriptive-analytical study, 120 patients who referred to the Kowsar Hospital of the Semnan University of Medical Sciences (Semnan, Iran) for coronary artery angiographies were enrolled. Sampling method was simple and purposeful by available samples. Spielberger's situational anxiety inventory (STAI) questionnaire was used to measure the level of situational anxiety before angiography. The mean severity of anxiety before coronary artery angiography was 39.26±11.86. The severity of anxiety was mild in 52.5%, moderate in 41.7%, and severe in 5.8% of patients. Severity of anxiety was significantly higher in women than men (P<0/05), but severity of anxiety had no significant difference in patients based on age, educational level, marital status and duration of symptoms. The results of this study showed that coronary artery angiography causes considerable anxiety in patients. Since anxiety can cause complications in these patients, nurses should check the level of anxiety before coronary artery angiography and take appropriate steps to reduce it.