Key result
Brief psychological intervention shows no benefit and lacks acceptability for chest pain with normal angiograms.
Why the study?
Patients with chest pain and normal coronary angiography have poor symptomatic, psychological, and quality of life outcomes and often feel inadequately informed.
Does a brief psychological intervention improve outcomes in patients with chest pain and normal angiograms?
RCT
Does a brief psychological intervention improve outcomes in patients with chest pain and normal angiograms?
A brief psychological intervention provided by a cardiac nurse was ineffective and sometimes unacceptable for patients with non-cardiac chest pain following a normal angiogram.
Does not support adoption for non-cardiac chest pain; leaves open whether refined interventions merit randomized testing.
BACKGROUND: Patients who present with chest pain but have normal coronary angiography and who are told by their cardiologist that they do not have heart disease, have a poor symptomatic, psychological and quality of life outcome and remain concerned about a serious cause of their symptoms. They frequently complain they have not had enough information. The study aimed to test the effectiveness and acceptability of a brief psychological intervention based on cognitive behavioural principles. METHODS: Consecutive patients with chest pain and normal angiograms were assessed and invited to take part in a randomized controlled evaluation. The intervention consisted of an individualized information and discussion session by a specially trained cardiac nurse, together with a handout and cassette providing information and advice and telephone follow-up to discuss progress, answer questions and reiterate advice. RESULTS: The treatment proved to be unacceptable to some patients and there was no evidence of efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Implications for the preparation of patients undergoing angiography and for the timing and delivery of information and advice following a negative result are discussed.
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Sanders et al. (1997) conducted an RCT in Non-cardiac chest pain. Brief psychological intervention was evaluated on Efficacy and acceptability. A brief psychological intervention for patients with chest pain and normal angiograms was unacceptable to some patients and showed no evidence of efficacy.