Usefulness of self-hypnosis in patients undergoing double-lung transplantation during the pre and postoperative period: A randomized study

Objective: Hypnosis can reduce pain and anxiety in patients undergoing surgery. We hypothesize that implementing self-hypnosis in the setting of lung transplantation could improve patients’ experience.

Methods: Patients were included in this randomized, single-center study after their registration on the waiting list unless they could not participate in self-hypnosis learning for cultural, cognitive or environmental reasons. The main outcome of the study was pain one month after lung transplantation. Secondary outcomes were pain, anxiety, coping, catastrophism, and quality of life evaluated at their registration, seven days after the transplantation, and one and four months after.

Results: 78 patients were included, 38 in the control group and 40 in the self-hypnosis group. 28 patients in the control group and 33 in the self-hypnosis group were evaluated at the 4th postoperative month. Practice of self-hypnosis was high before transplantation (76.6%). Pain at rest, evaluated using a 100 mm visual analogic scale one month after surgery, was 3.5 [IQR, 12.5] in the self-hypnosis group versus 10.5 [21.5] in the control group (p = 0.16). Group-time interactions were not statistically significant whatever the concerned variable.

Conclusions: Self-hypnosis does not alter the pain profile, anxiety, coping, catastrophism, and quality of life of lung transplanted patients.

Methods
eCRF