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Electric toy car to reduce anxiety before a cardiac catherisation: randomised controlled trial
Edouard Chambon1, Emmanuelle Fournier1, Maha Tagorti1
1Pediatric Cardiology Department, Reference Center for Complex Congenital Heart Disease (M3C Network), Marie Lannelongue Hospital, Paris Saint-Joseph Hospital Group, Paris Saclay University, Faculty of Medicine, Le Plessis Robinson, France.
Insights
Riding an electric toy car to cardiac catheterization significantly reduced anxiety in boys and their parents. This intervention offers a novel approach to managing pre-procedural anxiety in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Child Psychology
- Medical Intervention Anxiety
Background:
- Pre-procedural anxiety in children undergoing invasive procedures is linked to long-term psychological issues.
- Cardiac catheterization is a common invasive procedure in pediatric cardiology.
- Effective anxiety management strategies are crucial for pediatric patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of transporting children to the catheterization laboratory via an electric toy car on their anxiety levels.
- To assess the effect of this intervention on parental anxiety.
- To determine if this method is more effective than traditional gurney transport.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 48 children (median age 5.6 years) undergoing cardiac catheterization.
- Intervention group: transport via electric toy car. Control group: transport via gurney.
- Anxiety was measured using the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale Short Form (mYPAS-SF) and visual analogue scale for anxiety (VAS-A) by a blinded physician.
Main Results:
- Overall anxiety scores (mYPAS-SF, VAS-A-child, VAS-A-parent) increased from the day before to the day of the procedure.
- Children in the intervention group showed significantly lower child anxiety (VAS-A-child) at anesthesia induction compared to the control group.
- Boys in the intervention group had significantly lower mYPAS-SF scores; parental anxiety (VAS-A parent) was also reduced.
Conclusions:
- Transport via electric toy car effectively reduces pre-procedural anxiety in boys undergoing cardiac catheterization.
- The intervention also demonstrated a positive impact on reducing parental anxiety.
- This novel approach offers a promising non-pharmacological method for managing pediatric procedural anxiety.
Background:
Anxiety before an invasive intervention is associated in children with persistent psychological disorders. We studied the effect of the transfer to the catheterisation room by an electric toy car on the anxiety of children and their parents before a cardiac catheterisation.
Methods:
Forty-eight children with a median age of 5.6 years [4.2-7.0] were randomised to either riding on an electric car to go to the catheterisation laboratory or being transported lying supine on a gurney. Anxiety assessments were performed by a physician blinded to group allocation on the day before the procedure (T0) and at anaesthesia induction (T1). The modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale Short Form (mYPAS-SF) and visual analogue scale for anxiety (VAS-A) were used in the children and the VAS-A in the parents.
Results:
The mYPAS-SF, VAS-A-child, and the VAS-A-parent scores were significantly higher at T1 than at T0 (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p = 0.005, respectively). The primary outcome (the median mYPAS-SF score at T1) was not significantly different in the two groups when males and females were combined. At T1, the VAS-A-child score, however, was significantly lower in the intervention than the control group (22 versus 55, p < 0.001). In the boys, the median mYPAS-SF score at T1 was significantly lower in the intervention group (25.0 versus 51.0, p = 0.024). No difference was observed in girls. The VAS-A parent score was lower at T1 in the intervention group (60 versus 87, p = 0.05).
Conclusion:
Riding to the catheterisation laboratory on an electric toy car decreased anxiety in boys and decreased parental anxiety.
