Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder After Acute Cardiovascular Events: Protocol of a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Psychiatry
• Systematic Review

Background:

• Aortic disease diagnosis and acute events like rupture or dissection can be traumatic.
• Medical events, including cardiovascular ones, may trigger post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
• The persistence of threat in medical PTSD raises questions about treatment approaches compared to traditional PTSD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the literature on PTSD occurrence after acute cardiovascular events.
• To identify and potentially meta-analyze effective treatments for medical event-initiated PTSD.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive search of multiple electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, SCOPUS, PsychInfo, Cochrane Library).
• Inclusion of studies on PTSD following cardiac arrest, acute coronary syndromes, and acute aortic syndromes.
• Data extraction and quality assessment by two experts, with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer, following PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines.

Main Results:

• The review will synthesize findings on PTSD prevalence post-cardiovascular events.
• A meta-analysis will be performed if data quality and quantity permit; otherwise, a narrative synthesis will be conducted.
• Statistical heterogeneity assessed using I² statistics and evidence quality by GRADE criteria.

Conclusions:

• This review will provide a summary of current literature on PTSD after acute cardiovascular events.
• It aims to inform treatment strategies for patients experiencing PTSD secondary to medical trauma.
• Findings will guide future research in this emerging area of psychological distress.