Clinical trial NCT00735618: Relaxation and Heart Rate Variability
Official title: Pilot Study on the Effects of a Brief Relaxation Program on Heart Rate Variability in Cancer Patients
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Cancer
Keywords: Advanced Cancer
Cancer Patients
Relaxation Therapy
Relaxation and Heart Rate Variability
Guided Relaxation
HRV
Stress, Anxiety, and Panic Disorder
Lead sponsor: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2008-08-15
Enrollment: 20
Sex: ALL
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Primary:

* To characterize the physiologic changes of the autonomic nervous system, demonstrated by heart rate variability (HRV) high frequency (HF) spectral analysis, before and after a 15 minute, one-time, guided relaxation program for cancer patients.

Secondary:

* To assess whether change of HRV correlates with subjective feeling for anxiety, based on visual analog scale scores.

Detailed description: Rhythm changes in your heart rate are part of the "autonomic" nervous system. This is the part of your nervous system that controls the body functions that you do not have to think about. Researchers want to find out if a "guided relaxation" session will make your heart rate more variable, with more rhythm changes.

If you are found to be eligible to take part in this study, you will first answer a brief questionnaire that will measure several symptoms, such as pain and anxiety (worry). This questionnaire will take less than 5 minutes. You will also be asked questions about your alcohol and smoking history, and if you have ever used relaxation or meditation techniques in the past. This will also take less than 5 minutes.

You will then be asked to lay on your back, on a hospital bed or exam table. Electrodes will be placed along your chest, the same way they are placed for an electrocardiogram (ECG--a test to measure the electrical activity of the heart). You will be asked to rest for 15 minutes, and then your heart rhythm will be recorded for 5 minutes. After this first recording, you will begin the relaxation program by listening to an audio recording for about 15 minutes, using headphones. After the relaxation program has ended, your heart rhythm will be recorded for another 5-minute period while you are resting.

You will then be asked to complete the same questionnaire as before.

The entire procedure will take about 45-60 minutes. After this second questionnaire, your participation on this study will be over.

This is an investigational study. Up to 20 people will take part in this study. All will be enrolled at M. D. Anderson.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Written informed consent
2. Normal cognition (per treating physician's assessment)

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Dementia
2. Psychosis
3. Delirium
4. Not fluent in English
5. Cardiac dysrhythmia
6. Inability to lay supine
7. Pacemaker

Primary outcomes:
measure: Differences Between Pre/Post ESAS Score
timeFrame: Baseline and following completion of HRV recordings and relaxation program (45 - 60 minutes elapsed time)
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Houston
country: United States
facility: UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
state: Texas
Study officials:
affiliation: U.T. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Professor
name: Ying Guo, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: