Mode and effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy for liver transplant recipients waiting for a liver transplant / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:With the development and improvement of liver transplantation technology, patients waiting for or undergoing liver transplantation have continued to increase in number. Due to their fears and concerns about post-transplantation rehabilitation, patients are under physical and mental stress, most of whom are shown to have a variety of mental disorders that affect rehabilitation. At present, mental problems of liver transplant patients are more concentrated in post-transplantation research, while patients waiting for liver transplantation do not get enough mental assessment and intervention. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the suitable mode of cognitive-behavioral therapy for liver transplant recipients waiting for donor liver and to evaluate the effect to improve patient’s physical and mental state. METHODS:Twelve liver transplant patients who underwent pre-transplantation assessment were randomly divided into experimental group and control group, each group with six cases. The control group received conventional treatment. The experimental group received cognitive-behavioral therapy in addition to conventional treatment. Self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and vital signs were measured in the two groups on admission, 1 week and 3 weeks after admission. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The SAS score of the experimental group was lower than that of the control group at 1 and 3 weeks after admission, and SAS score decreased as the intervention extended. The systolic blood pressure of the experimental group was lower than that of the control group at 3 weeks after admission, but there was no significant difference in diastolic blood pressure between two groups. The heart rate of the experimental group was lower than that of the control group at 1 and 3 weeks after admission. The respiratory rate of the experimental group was lower than that of the control group at 3 weeks after admission. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can reduce the level of anxiety and keep vital signs stable with good feasibility and effectiveness in patients waiting for liver transplantation.