Psychological factors associated with functional recovery among patients with a peripheral arterial disease after lower extremity bypass.

Functional recovery, described by walking ability, is one of the significant outcomes for patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) after lower extremity bypass. Little is known about associated factors that help to improve this outcome. The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with functional recovery among patients with PAD after lower extremity bypass, such as postoperative period, social support, and depression. Data were collected in a University Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. A sample of 77 patients with PAD receiving lower extremity bypass treatment was recruited into the study. The interview questionnaires consisted of demographic characteristics, Medical Outcome Study social survey, Thai Geriatric Depression Scale, and Walking Impairment Questionnaire. Reliability of each instrument was 0.97, 0.87, and 0.92, respectively. Pearson's correlation was performed to identify the factors associated with functional recovery. The mean values of age, postoperative period, and walking ability score were 63.92 years (standard deviation [SD] = 11.21), 4.19 years (SD = 3.52), and 62.52 (SD = 13.83). Functional recovery and social support were significantly associated with depression (r = -0.272, P < .05; r = -0.463, P < .01, respectively). The postoperative period was also significantly associated with social support (r = 0.247, P < .03).In conclusion, psychological factors were significantly related to functional recovery among patients with PAD after lower extremity bypass. Therefore, health-care providers should consider these factors during discharge planning, and screening depression score as baseline should be performed.