Breathe away the fear: new study tests simple technique for heart transplant anxiety
NCT ID NCT07381023
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a guided breathing technique called heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVB) can reduce anxiety in 60 adults who are in the ICU waiting for a heart transplant. Participants will use a biofeedback device or app during a single session led by a trained clinician. The goal is to see if this simple, non-drug approach helps patients feel calmer and more in control during a very stressful time.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback (HRVB) - a guided breathing technique using a biofeedback device or app
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to help heart transplant candidates manage anxiety while in the ICU.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-stage study with only 60 participants. The intervention is a single session, so any benefits may be short-lived. Results may not apply to all patients.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Mar 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria * any gender * any race/ethnicity * ≥18 years old with no upper limit * currently inpatient in the cardiac ICU, awaiting heart transplant * elevated anxiety symptoms as evidenced by cut scores on the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ) (Lovibond \& Lovibond, 1995; Eifert et al., 2000). * proficiency in speaking, reading and writing in English Participants in this study must be proficient in English due to the language limitations of the study administrator. The intervention includes a teaching component that requires verbal instruction, psychoeducation, and interactive engagement, all of which will be conducted exclusively in English. At this time, the study administrator is only proficient in English and is unable to reliably deliver the intervention or assess participant understanding in other languages. To ensure consistency, accuracy, and fidelity of the intervention, as well as to maintain ethical standards in informed consent and participant comprehension, only English-speaking individuals will be eligible to participate. * able/willing to consent to participate Exclusion Criteria * \<18 years of age * active psychosis or delirium * current neurological problems (e.g., stroke) at time of enrollment that would interfere with the ability to complete the practice * on a ventilator at time of enrollment * pregnancy * unable or unwilling to consent to participate
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
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