The mind-body connection has been increasingly studied in recent years. Some studies have shown that placebos are as effective in some cases as the actual drugs. And hypnosis has been shown to have dramatic impact on some physical disorders. Physicians are more open now to the idea that how we think about health and surgical procedures can have a significant effect on outcome or recovery.
A new study by the Radiological Society of North America has found that pre-op patient levels of fear, anxiety, or other adverse attitudes, can affect the results of angioplasty or other interventional radiology procedures. The study author stated that “I was surprised by this result,” and that “prior to this study, I did not believe patient mood could have an effect on outcome.”
Study researchers reviewed procedures for 230 patients, about equally divided between men and women, who underwent image-guided interventional radiology procedures including vascular and kidney interventions. Prior to the procedures, the patients completed a questionnaire called the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule to assess their mood. The patients recorded their negative feelings, such as guilt, nervousness, or irritability, as well as positive feelings. The researchers then correlated the high and low scores with adverse incidents during the procedures, such as lack of oxygen, low or high blood pressure, post-operative bleeding, or an abnormally slow heart rate.
The results showed that the patients with a high negativity score had a statistically significant increase in the occurrence of adverse incidents. The procedures involved did not require full anesthesia, but rather used conscious sedation in which the patient has some awareness of what is happening and can even hear the physicians and technicians talk. One of the study authors said that radiologists have focused on improving equipment and techniques to reduce adverse outcomes, but there is now a growing recognition that outcomes can also be affected by what the patient brings to the operating room.
