Surgical Intervention for Irregular Heartbeat Found to Reduce Depression, Anxiety

This study highlights the negative impact of [atrial fibrillation] on patients’ mental health,” wrote Ahmed M. Al-Kaisey, M.B.Ch.B., of Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia and colleagues. “[C]atheter ablation resulted in significant and sustained improvements in markers of psychological d istress, further focusing attention on the importance of mental health assessment in patients with symptomatic [atrial fibrillation].”The REMEDIAL (Randomized Evaluation of the Impact of Catheter Ablation on Psychological Distress in Atrial Fibrillation) study involved patients aged 18 to 80 who sought care for symptoms of atrial fibrillation between June 2018 and March 2021. Fifty-two of these patients were randomized to receive catheter ablation, and 48 received medication for their heart condition. The researchers assessed the participants using questionnaires at study enrollment and periodically throughout the 12-month study. These questionnaires included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).The mean combined HADS score for all participants at baseline was 12.72, and severe psychological distress (combined HADS score>15) was present in 31 of 96 participants (32%).During 12 months of follow-up, 23 of 49 participants (47%) in the ablation group had documented atrial fibrillation compared with 45 of 47 (96%) in the medication group. A greater percentage of patients in the ablation group showed reductions in psychologi...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: atrial fibrillation catheter catheter ablation heart irregular heartbeat JAMA medication Source Type: research