A pilot randomized controlled trial to assess the effect of Islamic spiritual intervention and of breathing technique with heart rate variability feedback on anxiety, depression and psycho-physiologic coherence in patients after coronary artery bypass surgery

Abstract

Background: This study investigated the effects of Islamic religious and breathing techniques with heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback therapies on HRV and psycho-physiologic coherence (resonance frequency), depression and anxiety in coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) patients. Methods: Sixty CABG patients were chosen and randomly assigned to religious, breathing techniques and control groups. The experimental groups received 8 weeks of treatments; a 2-h session with home works in each week. The control group received only their normal hospital interventions. The groups' depression, anxiety, HRV and psychophysiologic coherence levels were assessed before and after the interventions by DASS-21 for depression and anxiety, and em-wave desktop software for HRV and psycho-physiologic coherence. The data were analyzed using ANCOVA with Bonferroni Comparison test and descriptive tests in SPSS software. Results: The findings showed that there were significant differences in psycho-physiologic coherence (HRV), depression and anxiety scores among the three groups in the post-tests. In fact, depression and anxiety were reduced more in the religious group, while psycho-physiologic coherence raised more in the breathing with the HRV feedback group. Conclusion: The results showed that both Islamic religious and breathing techniques with HRV biofeedback therapies can be used in rehabilitation programs for CABG patients in clinics and hospitals.

A pilot study on development and feasibility of the ‘MyEducation: CABG application’ for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery

“…But the accompanying decreased quality of life and diminished treatment tolerance could worsen course of disease and recovery. Evidence suggests that the presence of anxiety and depression is to be anticipated among patients scheduled for CABG surgery considering the stressors patients undergoing CABG experienced [ 2 , 3 ]. Furthermore, presence of anxiety and depression at the preoperative period triggered psychological responses involving the endocrine and autonomic system, influencing postoperative outcomes and length of stay (LOS) [ 4 , 5 ].…”

“…Recent evidence indicated that approximately 30 to 40% of CABG surgery patients experienced a form of psychological depression immediately preceding- and post-surgery [ 6 , 7 ]. Patients with high levels of anxiety pre-CABG procedure reported more pain, lesser post-surgery symptom-relief and higher readmissions [ 3 , 8 , 9 ].…”

The effect of modified relaxation breathing technique on pain anxiety in patients with second-degree burns: A clinical trial study

“…The effectiveness of breathing techniques to control anxiety have been approved in various groups, including, burn patients [10], women with multiple sclerosis [11], obstetrics [12], coronary artery disease [13],…”

Complementary and Alternative Therapy for Pain and Anxiety in Cardiovascular Disease: A Literature Review

“…This therapy concurs with the results of the analysis in this review, namely, patients who are undergoing post-cardiac surgery care, i.e., CABG, often experience problems related to psychological and physiological aspects. This review shows that Islamic spiritual healing can help reduce anxiety and become a positive coping in patients with chronic diseases (21). The spiritual therapy in this review is focused on mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR).…”