Abstract

Objective: This study was performed to investigate fatigue

of the patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft

surgery.

Method: This study, which was planned as pretest / posttest

quasi-experimental design single group, was performed in

the cardiovascular surgery service of a private hospital.

The sample consisted of 32 patients who had undergone

CABG surgery within the last 6 months. Data were collected

by structured information forms, and Piper’s Fatigue

Scale. Questionnaire surveys and scales were applied

during the preoperative period, then were re-applied on

postoperative 2-4. days and postoperative second month.

Ifor the analysis of data, frequency and percentage, mean

and standard deviation, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal

Wallis H Test, Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, Correlation

analysis and Cronbach’s alpha analysis were used.

Results: Mean scores of Piper Fatigue Scale were found as

3.71±2.82 for the preoperative period, 5.15±2.39 for postoperative

2-4. days and 0.03±0.16 for postoperative

second month with statistically significant difference among

them (p<0.01). It was found that the patients who slept for

longer than 10 hours a day had significantly higher fatigue

scale scores at postoperative second month (p<0.01).

Conclusion: It was seen that the fatigue level of patients

which was just below the moderate level during preoperative

period rised above moderate level on postoperative

2-4. days, then almost disappeared after postoperative

second month.