Clinical Research Directory

Study of Lesion-Specific Invasive Haemodynamic Angina Thresholds

ORBITA-SOLAR is an invasive physiological cardiac catheterisation study that aims to determine whether different coronary stenoses have different angina thresholds. The angina threshold is defined as the amount of coronary flow reduction required to reproduce symptoms. Sixty patients with symptoms of stable angina and 2 coronary artery stenoses amenable to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) will be recruited. This study will use intra-coronary balloon inflation during supine exercise on an ergometer to measure the fractional flow reserve (FFR) and non-hyperemic pressure ratio (NHPR) that relates to angina onset, in real time, at the location of each stenosis.

Virtual Reality for Patient Preparation Before Cardiac Catheterization in Oman

Background: Cardiovascular disease is considered one of the most prevalent diseases in recent times, and cardiac catheterization is widely used to diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease. However, patients often experience significant anxiety before the procedure due to fear of the unknown, potential complications, and concern about discomfort.Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of virtual reality technology to reduce anxiety and improve patient satisfaction, attitude, and usefulness in individuals undergoing first-time cardiac catheterization procedures in Oman.Method: A mixed-method randomized control trial will be used with approximately 120 patients from different tertiary hospitals in Oman. The experimental group will experience a virtual reality simulation of the catheterization process before providing informed consent, while the control group will receive the standard pre-procedure education. The Arabic version of the DASS-21 scale will be used to assess anxiety level pre- and post-intervention, while patient satisfaction will be measured through qualitative interviews with a subset of 10 participants.Result: ANOVA will be conducted to examine differences in anxiety and satisfaction scores between groups, and Pearson's correlation (r) will assess relationships between anxiety levels and satisfaction scores, while paired t-tests will be applied to compare anxiety levels before and after the intervention within groups. Additionally, multiple regression analysis will be employed to identify predictors of patient satisfaction and anxiety reduction, with a significance level set at p ≤ 0.05 for all statistical tests.Conclusion: The expected outcome of this study is that virtual reality-based education will significantly reduce pre-procedure anxiety and enhance patient satisfaction compared to standard education. Findings from this research may contribute to improving patient-centered care and developing innovative strategies to optimize emotional preparedness before cardiac catheterization procedures.