Effect of short-term heart rate variability biofeedback on long-term abstinence in alcohol dependent patients – a one-year follow-up

BMC Psychiatry

Research Article

Ben Min-Woo Illigens¹  Kristian Barlinn²  Timo Siepmann²  Martin Siepmann³  Kerstin Weidner³  Ana Isabel Penzlin⁴ 

[1] Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA;Department of Neurology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany;Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany;Treatment Center for Addiction Disorders, Heidehof Hospital, Weinböhla, Germany;

关键词: HRV;    Heart rate variability;    Biofeedback;    Autonomic;    Abstinence;    Alcohol addiction;    Craving;    Rehabilitation;    Survey;    Relapse;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12888-017-1480-2

 received in 2017-04-29, accepted in 2017-08-22,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundA randomized controlled study (RCT) recently showed that short-term heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback in addition to standard rehabilitation care for alcohol dependence can reduce craving, anxiety and improve cardiovascular autonomic function. In this one-year follow-up study we aimed to explore whether completion of 2-week HRV-Biofeedback training is associated with long-term abstinence. Furthermore, we sought to identify potential predictors of post-treatment abstinence.MethodsWe conducted a survey on abstinence in patients with alcohol dependence 1 year after completion of an RCT comparing HRV-biofeedback in addition to inpatient rehabilitation treatment alone (controls). Abstinence rates were compared and analysed for association with demographic data as well as psychometric and autonomic cardiac assessment before and after completion of the biofeedback training using bivariate and multivariate regression analyses.ResultsOut of 48 patients who participated in the RCT, 27 patients (9 females, ages 42.9 ± 8.6, mean ± SD) completed our one-year follow-up. When including in the analysis only patients who completed follow-up, the rate of abstinence tended to be higher in patients who underwent HRV-biofeedback 1 year earlier compared to those who received rehabilitative treatment alone (66.7% vs 50%, p = ns). This non-significant trend was also observed in the intention-to-treat analysis where patients who did not participate in the follow-up were assumed to have relapsed (46,7% biofeedback vs. 33.3% controls, p = ns). Neither cardiac autonomic function nor psychometric variables were associated with abstinence 1 year after HRV-biofeedback.ConclusionOur follow-up study provide a first indication of possible increase in long-term abstinence after HRV-biofeedback for alcohol dependence in addition to rehabilitation.Trial registrationThe original randomized controlled trial was registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00004618). This one-year follow-up survey has not been registered.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017