Stability and cause of anxiety in patients with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator: a longitudinal two-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE:Several investigations have found that anxiety disorders often develop in patients with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). This study investigated the inter--and intraindividual stability of anxiety and its relation to ICD activity in patients with an ICD. METHODS:Changes in the psychopathology of 35 patients with an ICD were assessed at the beginning of the trial period and 2.5 years later. Psychometric measures of anxiety were collected. During this period, shocks and antitachycardia pacing were assessed. RESULTS:Anxiety was found to be interindividually stable. We also found a slight, but statistically significant, reduction in trait anxiety and avoidance behavior over time. Patients who experienced shocks or antitachycardia pacing did not differ on psychometric or demographic variables from patients without those events. CONCLUSIONS:Anxiety seems to be interindividually stable in patients with an ICD. We found no connection between anxiety and tachycardia episodes in patients with an ICD.