[Intensive Care Unit stay. Variables that affect emotional reactions].

PURPOSE

To evaluate the anxiety and depression levels during five days of stay in a Clinical Cardiological Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and verify the relation to different variables.

METHODS

Forty seven patients were submitted to IDATE scale for anxiety and an avaliation for depression. The scores were compared to medical diagnoses, age, local of stay before the ICU, number of hospitalizations.

RESULTS

Anxiety and depression scores decrease significant from first to fifth day of ICU stay. No significant correlation was found between age, number of hospitalizations, medical diagnoses and the anxiety and depression scores. Patients admitted from the emergency unit presented a correlation between anxiety and depression scores.

CONCLUSION

Anxiety and depression decrease during the five days of ICU stay. Emotional reactions are not influenced by medical diagnoses, age and number of hospitalizations. The emergency unit stay affects emotionally the patient in the first days of ICU admission.