The effect of waiting time for surgical patients to be taken into the operating room on stress response

This study was conducted to determine the effect of the waiting time for surgical patients to be taken into the operating room on the stress response. The study was conducted with 80 patients (N=80). Patients who underwent surgery between 8-12 a.m. were assigned to Group A (N=41), and patients whose surgery started between 13-16 p.m. were assigned to Group B (N=39). Patients were evaluated three times: T0,T1, T2. In each evaluation, patients' serum cortisol level (µ/dl), serum glucose level (mg/dl), state anxiety (GCS), hunger level (GCS), thirst level (GCS), systolic blood pressure in (mmHg), diastolic blood pressure in (mmHg), pulse rate per minute, body temperature in (°C), oxygen saturation (%), and respiratory rate were measured. The duration of fasting, thirst, and sleep deprivation before surgery was significantly higher in Group B compared to Group A (p=0.014, p=0.022, p=0.001, respectively). Compared to Group A, it was found that state anxiety (GCS), hunger level (GCS), thirst level (GCS), and systolic blood pressure (mmHg) were higher in the T2 evaluation of patients in Group B, and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.001, p=0.009, p=0.001, p=0.008, respectively). Although the serum cortisol level (µ/dl) and serum glucose level (mg/dl) of patients in Group B were higher compared to Group A, the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). There was a weak positive correlation between serum cortisol level and serum glucose level, state anxiety, hunger level, thirst level, systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the T2 evaluation (p<0.05). Patients taken into surgery in the afternoon have higher state anxiety, hunger, thirst levels, and systolic blood pressure compared to patients taken into surgery in the morning. The effect of waiting time for surgery on serum cortisol level and serum glucose level should be retested with larger sample studies.