A Randomized Controlled Trial to Assess the Usefulness of Integrative Medicine Tools As Adjunctive Care for Women After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Coronary artery disease is the most frequent cause of death for women in the United States. Increasingly coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is used for women as a treatment for this disease and women now account for nearly 30% of patients undergoing CABG surgery. Women are reported to have higher morbidity and mortality after CABG surgery than men. In addition to this higher complication and death rate, recent studies suggest that women experience more fear, stress, depression and anxiety before and after surgery than men. This randomized, controlled study was developed to research the feasibility and possible effects of providing health education and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) tools to women after they have undergone cardiac surgery.

This study is a randomized controlled clinical trial of 150 women from the Columbia campus of New York Presbyterian Hospital who recently had cardiac surgery. Baseline information on risk factor status, psychosocial status, quality of life, and CAM usage and expectancy will be obtained on all participants. Women will be randomized to CAM health education or standard care and will be followed for 6 months. Patients randomized to CAM health education will receive a three-tiered program in CAM education by a certified or trained practitioner in Yoga, Guided Imagery, and Nutrition. Patients will receive both personalized instruction in use of these CAM therapies and custom-designed instructional material including a:

1. videotape on cardiac yoga,
2. a guided imagery audiotape and
3. a booklet on micronutritional approaches to cardiac care (developed by Dr Oz and the Columbia Integrative Medicine Program)

Women randomized to CAM health education will be contacted at 2, 4, and 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months post surgery to assess progress toward reaching prevention goals, their utilization of CAM therapies, and their impact on psychological and physical health. The health educator will problem solve with the patient to overcome barriers toward reaching prevention and CAM goals.

Assessments of the following outcomes will be made at 6 weeks and 6 months post intervention: overall mood as measured by the Profile of Mood States12, perception of stress as measured by a single-item, likert stress scale, psychological and mental health status as measured by the SF36, and the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (cardiovascular disease death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, myocardial revascularization procedure, stroke, non-coronary arterial revascularization, cardiovascular hospitalizations).