Assessment of sleep quality using the pittsburgh sleep quality index (psqi) in patients after cardiac surgery at Hanoi Heart Hospital

Abstract

Background & Objectives: Sleep disturbances are prevalent yet frequently overlooked functional complications in cardiac surgery patients. This study aimed to describe sleep characteristics and assess sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in post-cardiac surgery patients at Hanoi Heart Hospital.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 71 elective post-cardiac surgery patients at Hanoi Heart Hospital from August 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025. Sleep quality was evaluated using the PSQI questionnaire, alongside assessments of postoperative pain (Visual Analogue Scale - VAS) and anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - Anxiety subscale - HADS-A).

Results: The overall prevalence of poor sleep quality (global PSQI score > 5) was 69.01%, including 33.80% mild, 28.17% moderate, and 5.63% severe sleep disturbance. The median global PSQI score was 9.0 (interquartile range: 4.0 – 12.0). Regarding specific components: 36.62% of patients had actual nocturnal sleep duration < 5 hours (mean: 5.45 ± 2.12 hours); 36.62% experienced prolonged sleep latency > 30 minutes (median: 30 minutes); 45.07% exhibited severely impaired sleep efficiency (< 65%) with a median sleep efficiency of 67.0% (IQR: 50.0% – 89.0%). Only 5.63% used sleep medications, and 85.92% reported minimal daytime dysfunction.

Conclusion: Poor sleep quality is highly prevalent (69.01%) among post-cardiac surgery patients, characterized by truncated sleep duration, prolonged sleep latency, and compromised sleep efficiency. Routine screening protocols and structured multi-modal sleep-promoting nursing interventions should be systematically integrated into Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery (ERAS Cardiac) pathways.