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The extent to which measures of pre-operative anxiety predict post-operative hospital stay, over and above what is predicted by biographical, medical status and post-operative anxiety variables, was examined in 81 cholecystectomy patients. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that patients who were older, had lower health status and suffered from wound infection, had a longer post-operative hospital stay than others. None of the pre-operative anxiety measures had a significant incremental value in the prediction of the post-operative hospital stay.

This study examined the extent to which measures of anxiety could predict pain and the length of hospitalization following surgery in 111 patients with gallstones over and above what could be predicted on the basis of biographical and medical status variables. Self-reported pain on the third day postoperative could hardly be explained by the variables measured. Preoperative anxiety did not increase the value of the prediction. Age, type of surgery, cystitis and wound infection explained a significant proportion of the variance in postoperative hospital stay. Over and above these variables. A-state on the third postoperative day and also A-state and specific anxiety measured 1 day before surgery exerted a significant increase on the values of prediction of the length of postoperative hospitalization.

The extent to which measures of anxiety and personality characteristics, which had been assessed preoperatively, could predict the length of hospital stay following surgery, above and beyond what could be predicted on the basis of biographical, medical-status and post-operative anxiety variables, was examined in 58 patients with gall-bladder disease. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that gender, previous operations, complications and State Anxiety (A-State) measured on the third day post-operatively, jointly explained a significant proportion of the variance in the length of hospitalization. Neither preoperative anxiety measures nor personality characteristics had any significant incremental value in the prediction.

One day before surgery and three days postoperatively, 118 cholecystectomy patients were investigated by means of several self-report anxiety-question(naire)s. On the basis of these, the patients were assigned to either the category more anxious postoperatively (A+) or the category less anxious postoperatively (A-). A+ patients rated preoperatively lower and postoperatively higher on the anxiety-question(naire)s than A- patients, and they stayed longer in hospital postoperatively.

In order to ascertain the effect of carotid endarterectomy on mental functioning, carotid endarterectomy patients suffering from transient ischemic attacks (TIA) were compared preoperatively and postoperatively with cholecystectomy patients. Preoperatively, a tendency toward poorer verbal memory and greater well-being is found in carotid endarterectomy patients. Postoperatively, the overall mental functioning of the carotid endarterectomy patients is not significantly improved, though verbal fluency does show improvement. The well-being of both groups is significantly greater following operation. The complaints of the carotid endarterectomy patients during the (last) TIA had already diminished before operation and after operation remained practically on the same level. Preoperatively and postoperatively, no clear connection exists between mental functioning and age of patients in this experiment, not between mental functioning and the side of the operation. Finally, in the case of 5 patients, no long-term (4.5 months) effect of carotid endarterectomy could be indicated.

In a double-blind, randomized study, patients undergoing cholecystectomy were administered one of four different sounds during general anaesthesia: positive suggestions, nonsense suggestions, seaside sounds or sounds from the operating theatre. The effect of these sounds on the postoperative course was examined to assess intraoperative auditory registration. No differences were found between the four groups in postoperative variables.