Prevalence of preoperative anxiety in patients posted for surgical procedures and its relation to the doses of anesthetic drugs

A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background 

In patients undergoing surgical procedures, preoperative period is one of the most worrying periods. There are only few studies which revealed that increased preoperative anxiety is associated with increased requirements of doses of anesthetic agents.

Aim 

The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of preoperative anxiety in patients posted for surgical procedures and its relation to the doses of anesthetic drugs.

Materials and Methods 

This is a cross-sectional, analytical study done between January 2021 and April 2021. A total of 100 patients undergoing surgery have given consent to participate in the study by filling self-designed questionnaire, Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS). Data analysis was done by SPSS version 24 using appropriate statistical tests.

Results 

Preoperative anxiety was noted in 21% of the patients who were undergoing surgery. The association between preoperative anxiety and need for increase in the doses of anesthetic agents during intraoperative period was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.004).

Conclusion 

A significant number of patients required increased amounts of anesthetic drugs to reduce anxiety during intraoperative period. Therefore, appropriate methods have to be introduced to address the concerns of patients undergoing surgery and thereby reducing anxiety.