Impact of hypnosis during coronarography

Although coronarography is common and relatively with low risk, patients may experience anxiety about the procedure and about the implications that some diagnosis may have. Hypnosis is an alternative technique with rising interest to prevent anxiety during this procedure.

The aim of this study is to better understand the effectiveness of hypnosis in reducing anxiety and discomfort in patients undergoing coronarography.

A total of 60 patients with nonemergency indication for coronarography were randomly divided into two groups: one control group (CTRL), and one experimental group of patients who underwent coronarography under hypnosis (HYP).

Results of our study suggest that hypnosis reduces significantly anxiety. Average Visual analogue scale (VAS) score was significantly lower in HYP group (0.7 ± 0.47 vs 1.66 ± 0.9 in CTRL group, ( P=0.037 )). Average Verbal rating scale (VRS) score was also significantly lower in HYP group (0.23±0.13 vs 0.83 ±0.6 in CTRL group; ( P=0.03 )). Need for morphine hydrochloride infusion was significantly lower in HYP group compared to CTRL group (6.7% vs 30% p= 0.02 ). There was no difference in the occurrence of adverse events between the two groups. For the physician performing the coronarography, procedure quality was similar in both groups (P= 0.59), although right radial puncture was more successful in HYP group (one failure of right radial puncture (3.3%) versus 6 (20%) in the CTRL group ( p =0.044 )).

Our results demonstrated a significant reduction of perceived pain, anxiety, and use of analgesic drugs in hypnosis responder patients. Hypnosis could be an alternative or complementary method to improve patient comfort significantly, during coronarography.