Anxiety and Depression in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Perspectives on the Use of Hypnosis.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a highly prevalent and debilitating respiratory condition, characterized by chronic airflow limitation, breathlessness, and other persistent respiratory symptoms. Critically, patients suffering from COPD often find themselves trapped in a vicious comorbidity cycle: while breathlessness and increased respiratory rate are known inducers of anxiety, the latter have been shown in turn to exacerbate breathlessness and chest discomfort. Hypnosis holds great potential for the simultaneous complementary management of anxiety and breathlessness in COPD. It is an inexpensive psychological intervention tailored to the patient's own experience, convenient in terms of logistics and implementation. In this short qualitative review, we present hypnosis' structural, cognitive, and neural fundamentals, and assess existing instances of hypnosis use in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and respiratory disease. We then discuss its potential as a tool for improving health-related quality of life and the self-management of COPD within (and beyond) pulmonary rehabilitation.

Hypnosis for the management of COPD-related anxiety and dyspnoea in pulmonary rehabilitation: rationale and design for a cluster-randomised, active-control trial (HYPNOBPCO_2).

Complementary psychological care is recommended for COPD, as it significantly reduces anxiety and boosts the pulmonary rehabilitation efficacy. In a precedent trial (HYPNOBPCO_1, ISRCTN10029862), administering a single hypnosis session was linked to reduced anxiety and improved breathing mechanics in intermediate and advanced COPD patients. However, whether hypnosis could improve self-management of anxiety and dyspnoea in COPD during pulmonary rehabilitation is yet to be investigated. This is the protocol for HYPNOBPCO_2, a 2-arm, cluster-randomised, statistician-blinded superiority monocentre trial (NCT04868357). Its aim is to assess the efficacy of hypnosis as a tool to manage anxiety and dyspnoea during a pulmonary rehabilitation programme (PRP). Clusters of COPD patients eligible for the conventional hospital-based PRP at the Centre Hospitalier de Bligny (CHB) will be randomised and evenly allocated into two parallel arms: "Hypnosis" (treatment) and "Relaxation" (active control). "Hypnosis" will consist of the CHB's conventional 4-week group PRP, supplemented by two educational sessions for teaching self-hypnosis. "Relaxation" will be identical, except standard relaxation exercises will be taught instead. Primary end-point will consist of assessing weekly changes in anxiety throughout the PRP, additional to total anxiety change after treatment completion. Anxiety will be determined by the six-item version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6). Secondary outcomes will include change in the 6-min walk test and the COPD assessment test (CAT). Further follow-up outcomes will include CAT and STAI-6 retests, re-hospitalisation rate, action plan use and persistence in self-hypnosis use, throughout the 12 weeks ensuing PRP completion.

Hypnosis for the Management of Anxiety and Dyspnea in COPD: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled Crossover Trial.

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are prone to dyspnea, increased respiratory rate and other anxiety-inducing symptoms. Hypnosis constitutes a complementary procedure capable of improving subjective feelings of anxiety. Objective: Assessing the efficacy of a 15-minute hypnosis intervention for immediate improvement of anxiety in severe COPD patients. Methods: Twenty-one participants, COPD patients (mean FEV1 < 32.3%), were randomly assigned to two individual sessions in crossover (sham and hypnosis, 24-h washout period, arms: hypnosis-sham [n=11]/sham-hypnosis [n=10]). We tracked pre- and post-intervention anxiety (STAI-6 score) as primary endpoint. Results: Nineteen (90.5%) participants completed the study. Anxiety diminished significantly after hypnosis (STAI-6 scores -23.8% [SD = 18.4%] hypnosis vs -3.1% [32.8%] sham; χ2=8, P<0.01, Bayes Factor 5.5). Respiratory rate also decreased after hypnosis. Improvements in SpO2 and Borg exertion scores were registered after both conditions. Conclusion: A 15-minute hypnosis session improved participants' anxiety and lowered respiratory rate (as opposed to sham). Improvements in anxiety were correlated with an alleviation in respiratory strain. Results imply that hypnosis can contribute to the improvement of anxiety levels and breathing mechanics in severe COPD patients. Registration Id: ISRCTN10029862.

Outcomes of Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation Before and After Implementation of a Respiratory ICU.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory ICUs (RICUs) have recently been implemented in France to fill the gap between ICUs and respiratory wards for patients who will require prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV). The aim of this study was to describe the outcomes of subjects with tracheostomy who were undergoing PMV before and after implementing a RICU in our hospital. METHODS: Two cohorts were studied and followed up for 1 year. Cohort 1 included 66 subjects from December 2010 to December 2012, before implementing the RICU. Cohort 2 included 103 consecutive subjects included in the RICU from January 2016 to June 2017. RESULTS: In cohort 2, lung and airway diseases were the main causes of chronic respiratory failure in 91.3% of the subjects versus 47.0% of the subjects in cohort 1 (P < .001). During the follow-up, 34.8% and 24.3% of the subjects in cohorts 1 and 2, respectively, were readmitted at least once (P = .14), which corresponded to 109 and 137 stays for cohorts 1 and 2. The median (95% CI) length of stay was 42 (37-50) d in the pre-RICU period versus 29 (26-33) d in the RICU period (P < .001). A complete or partial weaning was achieved in 30.3% of stays in the pre-RICU period versus 69.3% of stays in the RICU period (P < .001). The in-hospital mortality rate was 14.7% and 7.3% in the pre-RICU and RICU periods, respectively (P = .10). The 1-year survival did not differ between cohorts: 60.6% versus 53.9% in cohorts 1 versus 2; P = .42). CONCLUSIONS: Implementing a RICU improved the outcomes of the subjects with tracheostomy who were undergoing PMV by reducing the length of stay and increasing complete or partial weaning. However, the 1-year survival remained unchanged.

Acute exacerbation of COPD during pulmonary rehabilitation: outcomes and risk prediction.

Purpose: This study was performed to examine acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) during pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) and the usefulness of multidimensional indices (MIs) to predict AECOPD at enrolment in PR. Patients and methods: A 4-week PR program (PRP) was implemented for 125 consecutive patients with COPD. At baseline and PRP completion, we recorded the FEV1, 6-minute walk test, peak work rate at cardiopulmonary testing, modified Medical Research Council score, and COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score. The risk of AECOPDs at baseline was assessed using the body mass index, airway obstruction, dyspnea, Exercise capacity (BODE), dyspnea, obstruction, smoking, exacerbation (DOSE), and score to predict short-term risk of COPD exacerbations (SCOPEX) MIs. Results: Thirty-two episodes of AECOPD occurred. The COPD status was worse in patients with than without AECOPD at baseline (lower FEV1, 6-minute walk test, and peak work rate; higher modified Medical Research Council and CAT scores). The sensitivities of the BODE, DOSE, and SCOPEX MIs to predict the occurrence of AECOPD during PRP were 78.1%, 21.9%, and 84.4%, and the specificities were 73.6%, 87.1%, and 51.6%, respectively. Conclusion: The BODE and SCOPEX MIs help to predict the exacerbation risk during PR.

Outcomes of Tracheostomized Subjects Undergoing Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation in an Intermediate-Care Facility.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of chronically ill subjects with prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) has significantly increased over the last decade because of improvements in acute critical care. The aim of this study was to describe the outcomes and care pathways of subjects receiving PMV through a tracheostomy tube in an intermediate-care facility. METHODS: Sixty-six subjects with chronic respiratory failure who experienced 109 hospitalizations between December 2010 and December 2012 in a 34-bed post-care unit were retrospectively included and followed for at least 1 y. RESULTS: The median (interquartile range [IQR]) length of stay (LOS) was 42 (26-77) d. Subjects were admitted from home (40.4%), our hospital ICU (40.4%; median [IQR] LOS = 17 [7-38] d), or another hospital (19.2%; median [IQR] LOS = 60 [8-71] d, P = .001 vs LOS in ICU). Thirty-five percent of subjects were readmitted at least once during the follow-up period. Sixteen subjects died in the intermediate-care facility. Discharge destinations of alive subjects were home (n = 78), another hospital (n = 6), a skilled-nursing facility (n = 5), or an ICU (n = 4). A complete or partial weaning was obtained in 30.3% of subjects. One year after the first day of hospitalization, 57% of subjects were alive. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the chance of survival at 1 y and/or weaning from ventilation, the resources needed by subjects with PMV are high, as shown by the number of readmissions and long LOS in our unit and in other hospital units before transfer.

A case report of an obesity hypoventilation syndrome associated with obstructive sleep apnea due to a carotid body paraganglioma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To the best of our knowledge, the association between an obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) due to a neck mass and an obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) has not been reported. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We report the case of a patient with obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) in whom OSAS caused by a carotid body paraganglioma contributed to recurrent bouts of severe alveolar hypoventilation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The complete surgical excision of the paraganglioma resulted in the cure of the OSAS and contributed to a clear improvement of the clinical symptoms of OHS.

Prospective testing of two models based on clinical and oximetric variables for prediction of obstructive sleep apnea.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To test the validity of two models for prediction of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) before polysomnography. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Sleep laboratory in an obesity clinic. PATIENTS: Data from two populations were analyzed: the first (group 1) included 102 consecutive overweight patients referred to our laboratory by an obesity clinic between May 1992 and November 1994, and was used to develop the prediction models. The second (group 2) included 108 consecutive new patients referred to our laboratory by the same obesity clinic between February 1997 and September 1998, and was used to test the prediction models. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Models were developed using a clinical score, pulmonary function tests, arterial blood gas tensions, and nocturnal pulse oximetry. OSAS was defined by an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) > 15 events per hour, as measured by full-night polysomnography. Step-by-step multiple linear regression analysis (MLR) was used to provide an equation for calculation of predicted AHI, while logistic regression analysis (LR) provided an equation for calculation of the probability (P') of having OSAS. Characteristics of groups 1 and 2 were similar except for the prevalence of OSAS, which was higher in group 2 (74% vs 39% in group 1). The negative predictive value (NPV) of the MLR model dropped from 82.9% in group 1 to 36.7% in group 2. In parallel, the NPV of a P' < 0.25 according to LR decreased from 78.6% in group 1 to 23.5% in group 2. CONCLUSION: Our results emphasize the need for systematic prospective testing of mathematical predictive models in OSAS, since their diagnostic characteristics may differ markedly between populations, even when the setting and mode of recruitment remain unchanged.

Prediction of obstructive sleep apnea by OxiFlow in overweight patients.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to assess the diagnostic characteristics of the OxiFlow (OF) device that combines oximetry with recording of thermistor airflow. METHODS: In patients referred to the sleep laboratory of an obesity clinic apnea-hypopnea index (AHI, events h(-1)) was calculated both by a full-night polysomnography (PSG) and OF on a separate night. Fifty-six patients were studied, of whom 49 had OSA defined as an AHI> or =15 events h(-1). RESULTS: There was an underestimation of AHI by OF when assessed by the Bland-Altman plot. Sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values for OF-AHI thresholds (10, 15 and 20 events h(-1)), taking PSG as a gold standard with a fixed PSG-AHI threshold of 15 events h(-1), were evaluated in two groups of patients with intermediate (group A, n=18, OSA prevalence=72.2%) and high (group B, n=38, OSA prevalence=94.7%) clinical probability of OSA. Se and PPV ranged respectively from 0.77 to 0.85 and from 0.73 to 0.77 (group A); from 0.74 to 0.97 and from 0.94 to 0.98 (group B). Sp and NPV ranged respectively from 0.20 to 0.40 and from 0.33 to 0.40 (group A); from 0.50 to 0.83 and from 0.21 to 0.67 (group B). Likelihood ratios (LRs) for a positive OF result ranged from 1.06 to 1.28 (group A) and from 1.83 to 4.42 (group B). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that in a population with a high OSA prevalence, we have found a low agreement between PSG-AHI and OF-AHI and an underestimation of AHI by OF. The LRs of OF as a diagnostic test were of low significance, precluding its usefulness in generating significant shifts in pretest to posttest probability of OSA.