Effectiveness of Hypnosis for the Prevention of Anxiety During Coronary Angiography (HYPCOR Study): a prospective randomized study

Background: – Coronary angiography is the gold standard for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. This procedure is nevertheless a source of anxiety given the inconvenience caused by its invasiveness but also due to the consequences linked to the discovery of potential diseases. Aim: - The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of hypnosis on reducing patient anxiety prior to coronary angiography. Methods: – A total of 169 patients with non-urgent indications of coronary angiography and no history of prior coronary angiography were randomized to a hypnosis or control group. Patients in the hypnosis group underwent a hypnosis session with posthypnotic suggestions in self hypnosis, while those in the control group had a conversational interview with the hypnotherapist. The primary endpoint was the level of anxiety prior to the exam assessed by the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y A). Results: - Performing a hypnosis session did not translate into a significant decrease in anxiety prior to the procedure. Age, trait anxiety, state anxiety the day before and belief that hypnosis works in general were associated with anxiety prior to the procedure. There was no adverse effect secondary to hypnosis. There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups for the occurrence of complications due to the procedure. Conclusion: - In the present study, performing a hypnosis session upstream of a coronary angiography, did not reduce the state anxiety measured immediately before the intervention. In all cases, the hypnotic experience seems to be positive for the patient, which encourages further research efforts. Trial registration - The research protocol was registered on the ClinicalTrials.gov registry (NCT02818101; 29/06/2016) and with the ANSM (IDRCB 2016-A00205-46; 02/02/2016).