Effects of Single-Session Meditation on Aortic Pulsatility and Anxiety in Mildly to Moderately Anxious Adults.

Context: Anxiety is a common mental health concern in the USA that is associated with an increased risk of hypertension, arterial stiffness, and cardiovascular disease. Therapists have used eight-week programs for mindfulness meditation to treat anxiety; however little is known about the psychophysiological effects of a single meditation session. Objective: The study intended to assess the effects of a one-hour, mindfulness-meditation session on anxiety symptomology and cardiovascular function, including aortic pulsatility. Design: The research team performed a prospective, single-group study. Setting: The study took place at Michigan Technological University. Participants: Participants were 14 young adults with an initial Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) score of 8 to 26, showing mild to moderate anxiety. Intervention: Participants took part in a single, one-hour, guided, mindfulness-meditation session. Outcome Measures: The research team: (1) administered the BAI during an orientation session and at 60-minutes post intervention, and (2) measured the cardiovascular variables of qualified participants at the orientation, at baseline prior to the intervention, immediately post intervention, and at 60 minutes post intervention, including systolic arterial blood pressure (SAP), diastolic arterial blood pressure (DAP), heart rate (HR), aortic pulse pressure (aPP), aortic pulsatility, aortic augmentation index (AIx) at 75 bpm, carotid-radial pulse wave velocity (crPWV), carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), and respiratory rate. Results: Participants had a significant decrease in the BAI scores between baseline and 60-minutes post intervention (P = .01) and a significant reduction in aortic pulsatility-aPP x HR-between baseline and immediately post intervention and between baseline and 60-minutes post intervention (both P < .01). Conclusions: Preliminary results suggest that one hour of introductory mindfulness meditation can have both psychological and cardiovascular benefits for anxious individuals.

Veteran Perspectives on Phantom Limb Pain and Non-Drug Interventions.

Background: Phantom limb pain (PLP) commonly occurs post-amputation and can negatively affect the daily functioning of persons with amputation. Best practices for medication and non-drug management remain unclear. Objective: To better understand the PLP experience and patients' familiarity with treatments, phone interviews were conducted at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Regional Amputation Center in Veterans with amputations. Methods: Fifty Veteran participants (average age 66, 96% male) with lower limb amputation were recruited for phone-based data collection of patient-reported outcomes (ie, demographics using the Trinity Amputation and Prosthesis Experience Scales-Revised (TAPES-R) and pain experience using the Phantom Phenomena Questionnaire) to characterize the population and a semi-structured interview. Notes taken during interviews were analyzed using the Krueger and Casey constant comparison analysis method. Results: Participants had an average of 15 years since amputation, and 80% reported PLP as identified with the Phantom Phenomena Questionnaire. Investigators identified several core themes from the qualitative interviews including 1) high variability in the experience of PLP, 2) acceptance and resilience, and 3) PLP treatment perceptions. The majority of participants reported trying common non-drug treatments with none endorsed consistently as highly effective. Conclusion: More research is needed to inform identification and implementation of clinical best practices for non-drug interventions for PLP and understand the factors that influence engagement in non-drug interventions. The participants in this study were largely male, so these results may not be generalizable to females.