Can a smartphone program prevent PTSD after a defibrillator shock?
NCT ID NCT06037785
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study tests a 1-month self-management program for people who have recently received a shock from their implantable defibrillator (ICD). The program includes heart rate monitoring and online modules with phone coaching, aiming to reduce anxiety and prevent PTSD. 60 participants are randomly assigned to the program plus usual care or usual care alone, and followed for 6 months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Self-Paced Self-Management (SPSM) program: heart rate self-monitoring and online modules with phone coaching
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, low-cost way to prevent PTSD and improve quality of life for people who receive an ICD shock.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-stage feasibility study with only 60 participants. The intervention is short (1 month) and may not work for everyone or have lasting effects.
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.
- Started
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Oct 2024
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2026
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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. ICD implant for primary or secondary prevention of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), 2. receipt of at least 1 ICD shock, appropriate or inappropriate, one week prior to enrollment; 3. able to read, speak and write English; 4. access to online resources and telephone for study duration. Exclusion Criteria: 1. current diagnosis of PTSD, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder; 2. Short BLESSED score \>6 indicating cognitive dysfunction \[73\]; 3. age \<18 years; 4. AUDIT-C score ≥4 for alcohol use; 5. regular non-medical use of illicit drugs
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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 places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Washington
RECRUITINGSeattle, Washington, 98195, United States
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