The Effect of a Cognitive-behavioral Intervention Based on Lifestyle Modification on the Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction of Patients after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

The promotion of health behaviors plays a key role in maintaining cardiac function and reducing cardiac complications. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a lifestyle-based behavioral intervention on the left ventricular ejection fraction of patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 80 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery in Kashani Hospital affiliated to Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in Shahrekord, Iran in 2019. The patients were selected via convenience sampling and randomly divided into two groups of case and control (40 per each). Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and checklist of left ventricular ejection fraction, which were completed in two stages before and three months after the intervention by both groups. The training intervention was performed based on modifications in lifestyle, physical activity, beliefs, communication, and nutrition in eight sessions by a cardiology nurse and a clinical psychologist. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 17 using descriptive and analytical tests, such as paired t-test, independent t-test, and Fisher's exact, at the significance level of P<0.05.

The mean percentage of the left ventricular ejection fraction before the psychological intervention had no significant difference between the case and control groups (P=0.33), while a significant difference was observed between the groups after the intervention (P=0.05). The mean percentage of the left ventricular ejection fraction in the case and control groups from before to after the intervention was significantly different (P=0.05) as the ejection fraction increased in both group; however, the difference was more significant in the case group.

According to the results, the cognitive-behavioral intervention based on lifestyle modification could effectively enhance the efficacy of the cardiac surgery in improving the left ventricular ejection fraction.