Stressors perceived by patients in the immediate postoperative of cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE: to investigate stressors perceived by patients in the immediate postoperative of cardiac surgery and their association with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

METHOD: a prospective correlational study conducted in a city in São Paulo, between August 2013 and December 2014. A non-probabilistic sample included patients submitted to their first coronary artery bypass graft or mitral valve surgery. The "Environmental Stressor Questionnaire" adapted to Portuguese was used.

RESULTS: 105 patients participated in the study. The item "being thirsty" was evaluated as the most stressful and "the nursing staff member does not introduce himself/herself by the name" as the least stressful. Among sociodemographic and clinical variables (gender, age, type and time of surgery, pain, intubation time, use of psychotropic medications and length of stay in the intensive care unit), only pain presented a significant association with the stressors.

CONCLUSION: knowing stressors can help implement practices associated with their reduction, favoring patients' recovery.