Marriage boosts heart surgery survival

Married adults who undergo heart surgery are over three times more likely to survive during the first three months after the procedure.

“That’s a dramatic difference in survival rates”‌ said senior researcher Ellen Idler of Emory University. “We found that marriage boosted survival whether the patient was a man or a woman. “

Scientists studied 500 US patients undergoing either emergency or elective coronary bypass surgery who were interviewed before the operation while their survival was controlled by checking national death index.

Although the most striking effect of marriage on post-op survival occurred during the first three months after surgery, the results showed that the significant effect of marriage continued for up to five years following the surgery.

Among participants who survived more than three months after coronary bypass surgery, those who were single were 70 percent more likely to die during the following five years.

The interviews suggested that married people had a more positive outlook going into the surgery than their single peers, researchers noted in their article published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

“When asked whether they would be able to manage the pain and discomfort, or their worries about the surgery, those who had spouses were more likely to say, yes,”‌ Idler said. “The findings underscore the important role of spouses as caregivers.”‌

The study also demonstrated that married patients were less likely to smoke; another potential health benefit of having a spouse that can affect heart health and survival after surgery.

Source: presstv.ir