Objectives Preoperative anxiety is common and might affect surgical treatment outcomes. The aim was to translate and validate the Serbian version of the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS). Methods Following translation and initial evaluation, the Serbian version (S‐APAIS) was administered to 385 patients. Internal consistency, construct validity, prognostic criteria validity, and concurrent validity between S‐APAIS and Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety (VAS‐A) were evaluated. Results Factor analysis revealed two factors: APAIS‐anesthesia (items 1, 2, 3) and APAIS‐procedure (items 4, 5, 6). The whole scale, APAIS‐anesthesia, and APAIS‐procedure subscales showed an adequate level of internal consistency (Cronbach's αs: 0.787, 0.806, and 0.805, respectively). High concurrent validity was observed between APAIS‐anesthesia and VAS‐A (ρ = 0.628, p < .001). A moderate correlation was found between APAIS‐procedure and VAS‐A scale (ρ = 0.537, p < .001). At the cut‐off point of 9, the area under the curve (AUC) of APAIS‐anesthesia was 0.815 (95% CI: 0.77–0.85, p < .001). For the APAIS‐procedure, AUC was 0.772 (95% CI: 0.73–0.81, p < .001) at the cut‐off point of 8. Conclusion The structure of S‐APAIS substantially differs from the original and allows separate measurement of anesthesia‐ and procedure‐related anxieties. S‐APAIS is a comprehensive, valid, and reliable instrument for the measurement of preoperative anxiety.

Preoperative anxiety refers to a state of discomfort caused by an upcoming operation, anesthesia, the disease itself, or hospitalization. Although the reported incidence of preoperative anxiety varies in a wide range, the majority of surgical patients experience at least some degree of anxiety preoperatively and it can be frequently seen in the preoperative setting. The specific factor that contributes most to the emergence of perioperative anxiety has not been identified yet. Still, older age and female gender have been consistently marked as independent predictors of preoperative anxiety. Several different scales have been proposed in recent decades for the measurement of preoperative anxiety. Since high-level preoperative anxiety is associated with severe postoperative complications and can significantly alter surgical treatment outcomes, this issue should not be neglected. Timely identification of anxious patients may reduce the incidence of preoperative anxiety and its possible consequences.

Background Preoperative anxiety is associated with increased morbidity and/or mortality in surgical patients. This study investigated the incidence, predictors, and association of preoperative anxiety with postoperative complications in vascular surgery. Methods Consecutive patients undergoing aortic, carotid, and peripheral artery surgery, under general and regional anesthesia, from February until October 2019 were included in a cross‐sectional study. Anesthesiologists assessed preoperative anxiety using a validated Serbian version of the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale. Patients were divided into groups with low/high anxiety, both anesthesia‐ and surgery‐related. Statistical analysis included multivariate linear logistic regression and point‐biserial correlation. Results Of 402 patients interviewed, 16 were excluded and one patient refused to participate (response rate 99.7%). Out of 385 patients included (age range 39–86 years), 62.3% had previous surgery. High‐level anesthesia‐ and surgery‐related anxieties were present in 31.2 and 43.4% of patients, respectively. Independent predictors of high‐level anesthesia‐related anxiety were having no children (OR = 0.443, 95% CI: 0.239–0.821, p = 0.01), personal bad experiences with anesthesia (OR = 2.294, 95% CI: 1.043–5.045, p = 0.039), and time since diagnosis for ≥ 4 months (OR = 1.634, 95% CI: 1.023–5.983, p = 0.04). The female sex independently predicted high‐level surgery‐related preoperative anxiety (OR = 2.387, 95% CI: 1.432–3.979, p = 0.001). High‐level anesthesia‐related anxiety correlated with postoperative mental disorders (rpb = 0.193, p = 0.001) and pulmonary complications (rpb = 0.104, p = 0.042). Postoperative nausea (rpb = 0.111, p = 0.03) and postoperative mental disorders (rpb = 0.160, p = 0.002) correlated with high‐level surgery‐related preoperative anxiety. Conclusions Since preoperative anxiety affects the postoperative course and almost every third patient experiences anxiety preoperatively, routine screening might be recommended in vascular surgery.

Background and Objectives: Despite the relatively large number of publications concerning the validation of these models, there is currently no solid evidence that they can be used with absolute precision to predict survival. The goal of this study is to identify preoperative factors that influenced 30-day mortality and to create a predictive model after open ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA) repair. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective single-center cohort study derived from a prospective collected database, between 1 January 2009 and 2016. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify all significant predictive factors. Variables that were identified in the multivariate analysis were dichotomized at standard levels, and logistic regression was used for the analysis. To ensure that dichotomized variables were not overly simplistic, the C statistic was evaluated for both dichotomized and continuous models. Results: There were 500 patients with complete medical data included in the analysis during the study period. Of them, 37.6% were older than 74 years, and 83.8% were males. Multivariable logistic regression showed five variables that were predictive of mortality: age > 74 years (OR = 4.01, 95%CI 2.43–6.26), loss of consciousness (OR = 2.21, 95%CI 1.11–4.40), previous myocardial infarction (OR = 2.35, 95%CI 1.19–4.63), development of ventricular arrhythmia (OR = 4.54, 95%CI 1.75–11.78), and DAP < 60 mmHg (OR = 2.32, 95%CI 1.17–4.62). Assigning 1 point for each variable, patients were stratified according to the preoperative RAAA mortality risk score (range 0–5). Patients with 1 point suffered 15.3% mortality and 3 points 68.2% mortality, while all patients with 5 points died. Conclusions: This preoperative RAAA score identified risk factors readily assessed at the bedside and provides an accurate prediction of 30-day mortality after open repair of RAAA.