Anxiété périopératoire : évaluation et prévention

Benefits of cardiac coherence combined with medical hypnosis on preoperative anxiety before cancer surgery: the COHEC II study trial protocol

INTRODUCTION

Preoperative anxiety is a frequent problem that can lead to complications both during anaesthesia and in the postoperative period, especially in oncology. Studies have shown that it can be managed using non-pharmacological approaches, but few works have evaluated psychoeducational programmes. The aim of the COHErence Cardiaque (COHEC) II Study is to evaluate the combination of medical hypnosis (MH) and cardiac coherence (CC) training to manage preoperative anxiety in patients with cancer.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

COHEC II is an ongoing multicentre randomised clinical trial carried out in three French comprehensive cancer centres. In total, 296 patients who will undergo surgery for cancer will be recruited during 18 months and will be randomised in the control arm or the intervention arm. Patients in the intervention arm will follow a daily programme that combines MH and CC, starting 7 days before surgery. The control arm will receive the standard treatment to manage preoperative anxiety. The primary endpoint is the anxiety level on surgery day, measured using a Visual Analogue Scale. Secondary endpoints are patient adherence to the programme, satisfaction and postsurgery recovery quality.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study protocol was approved by the French Ethics Committee (Comité de Protection des Personnes EST-II) on 24 November 2021 and will be carried out following the good practice guidelines and the Declaration of Helsinki. Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT05197972.

[Assessment of the therapeutic communication in order to improve the welcoming of patients in the operating room: impact study]

PURPOSE

We wanted to assess the awareness of the nursing staff to therapeutic communications on improving the welcoming experience of patients in the operating room for outpatient surgery.

METHODS

This was a single centre prospective impact study performed in an outpatient surgery clinic. In a first phase, a questionnaire was administered by the anesthetist nurse upon arrival of the patient to assess the patient's comfort (NRSc) and satisfaction on a simple numeric scale, and calculate a negative communication score ('NC'). In the second phase, the awareness of the nursing staff on therapeutic communication was emphasized on listening, empathy and the use of positive wording, using educational videos. In the third phase, after the staff awareness-raising period, the questionnaire was repeated. Quantitative variables (primary outcome criterion made of the number of patients with a NC score ≥ 5, NRSc, satisfaction), and qualitative variables before and after the awareness raising phase to therapeutic communications were compared.

RESULTS

A total of 234 patients were included (109 before and 125 after). Following the staff awareness session to therapeutic communication, the NC score ≥ 5 decreased significantly from 20% to 6% as well as the median NRSc [P₂₅-P₇₅] before (8 [8-9] vs 8 [7-8]) and after (8 [8-9] vs 8 [7-8]) anesthesia. The proportion of less anxious patients before the initiation of anesthesia was significantly higher after the therapeutic communication (32% vs 17%). Satisfaction significantly increased after the awareness phase (8 [7-10] vs (9 [8-10]).

CONCLUSION

This preliminary study shows a mild improvement of the patients' comfort and satisfaction after therapeutic communication. A controlled randomized trial is needed to confirm those results.

Using virtual reality to control preoperative anxiety in ambulatory surgery patients: A pilot study in maxillofacial and plastic surgery

INTRODUCTION

Preoperative anxiety may lead to medical and surgical complications, behavioral problems and emotional distress. The most common means of prevention are based on using medication and, more recently, hypnosis. The aim of our study was to determine whether a virtual reality (VR) program presenting natural scenes could be part of a new therapy to reduce patients' preoperative anxiety.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Our prospective pilot study consisted of a single-blind trial in skin cancer surgery at the Henri-Mondor teaching hospital in France. In the outpatient surgery department, 20 patients with a score of >11 on the Amsterdam preoperative anxiety and information scale (APAIS) were virtually immersed into a natural universe for 5minutes. Their stress levels were assessed before and after this experience by making use of a visual analog scale (VAS), by measuring salivary cortisol levels, and by determining physiological stress based on heart coherence scores.

RESULTS

The VAS score was significantly reduced after the simulation (P<0.009) as was the level of salivary cortisol (P<0.04). Heart coherence scores remained unchanged (P=0.056).

DISCUSSION

VR allows patients to be immersed in a relaxing, peaceful environment. It represents a non-invasive way to reduce preoperative stress levels with no side effects and no need for additional medical or paramedical staff. Our results indicate that VR may provide an effective complementary technique to manage stress in surgery patients. Randomized trials are necessary to determine precise methods and benefits.

Assessment of a short hypnosis in a paediatric operating room in reducing postoperative pain and anxiety: A randomised study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To assess the impact of a short hypnotic session on postoperative anxiety and pain in major orthopaedic surgery.

BACKGROUND

Despite specific information given before a scheduled paediatric surgery, perioperative anxiety can become important.

DESIGN

Randomised Clinical Study.

METHODS

The study is an open single-centre randomised clinical study comparing a "control" group versus a "hypnosis" group receiving a short hypnosis pre-induction session as additional experimental analgesic procedure. The primary endpoint was the postoperative anxiety, blindly assessed using a visual analogue scale.

RESULTS

The study involved 120 children (age 10-18 years). The results showed no difference between control group versus hypnosis group. Twenty-four hours after surgery (Day+1), the patient's anxiety score was not different between control and hypnosis groups (median [Q1-Q3]: 1 [0; 3] vs. 0 [0; 3], respectively, p = .17). Each group experienced a significant decrease in anxiety level between the day before surgery (Day-1) and the day after surgery (Day+1) (median ([Q1-Q3]) difference of the anxiety score: 2 [4; 0] and 2 [4; 0], respectively, p < .0001 in each group). The postoperative pain scores were low and not different between groups (median [Q1-Q3]: 2 [0; 3] in control group vs. 3 [1; 3] in hypnosis group, p = .57).

CONCLUSION

This randomised study on a short hypnosis session performed in the operating room prior to a major surgery showed no difference in postoperative anxiety and pain levels. The decrease in anxiety and pain levels may be due to the addition of nurse pre-operative interviews and optimisation in communication in the operating room.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

As postoperative anxiety level was low in both control and hypnosis groups, nurse pre-operative interviews and nurse training in hypnosis may contribute to the optimisation of global management and decrease the postoperative anxiety level.