Type A behavior and coronary artery bypass surgery: Intraoperative blood pressure and perioperative complications

Previous research has suggested that Type A, compared to Type B patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery evidence greater intraoperative increases over hospital admission systolic blood pressure, even though patients are under general anesthesia. The present study sought to examine whether such blood pressure increases are accounted for by elevations occurring entirely during surgery (with conscious mediation minimized), or by increases occurring prior to surgery. A second purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between Type A behavior and complications occurring during and after surgery. Twenty-seven male patients given a structured interview to measure Type A behavior in advance of surgery comprised the present sample. Results indicated that interview Type A intensity was reliably related to magnitude of systolic, but not diastolic blood pressure increases during, but not prior to surgery. The 12 patients with complications (largely arrhythmias), were reliably higher in rated intensity of Type A behavior (p < 0.01) than those without complications (n = 14). None of the Type B or Type X patients showed evidence of complications during or after surgery. Results of this study support a body of data linking Type A behavior to cardiovascular reactivity and clinical complications of coronary disease. Since this reactivity is evident under general anesthesia, these data further suggest that conscious mediation may not always be necessary in order to elicit these responses.