Capnometry Guided Respiratory Intervention reduced panic and stress levels of PTSD patients: Frontiers

A new study published in Frontiers in Digital Health showed that a considerable rate of symptom reduction and adherence was noticed in 1,569 patients who received Capnometry Guided Respiratory Intervention (CGRI) with respect to panic and stress.

Capnometry Guided Respiratory Intervention, a prescription digital therapeutic for the treatment of panic disorder (PD) and post-traumatic stress disorder, has consistently demonstrated clinical benefit in earlier clinical trials. As a result, Robert N. Cuyler and colleagues carried out this study with the intention of reporting actual results in a number of patients who received the intervention in clinical practice.

In a large real-world series of patients receiving CGRI for panic disorder and PTSD, this research offers pre- and post-treatment self-reported symptom reduction, measurements of respiration rate and end-tidal carbon dioxide levels, drop-out and adherence rates taken from an automated data repository. Patients implemented the intervention at home with telehealth coaching's assistance. Following evaluation by a healthcare professional, patients with panic disorder (n = 1,395) or posttraumatic stress disorder (n = 174) who met the symptom criteria were treated. Pre- and post-treatment scores on the self-reported Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) were obtained.

The key findings of this study were:

Patients with panic disorder (PD) had a mean reduction in overall PDSS scores from pre- to post-treatment of 50.2%. Sixty-five percent of PD patients showed treatment response rates. 

Patients with PTSD saw a drop in their overall PCL-5 scores of 41.1% from pre- to post-treatment. 

The rate of PTSD treatment success was 72.4%. 55.7% of patients with panic disorder and 53.5% of patients with PTSD were categorized as treatment responders using the Reliable Change Index in a separate examination of response at the individual level. 

Patients who had baseline exhaled CO2 levels that were normal or below-normal benefited similarly. 

Mean adherence rates of 74.8% (for PD) and 74.9% (for PTSD) were seen during the course of the 28-day therapy. 

The dropout rates for PD and PTSD were 10% and 11%, respectively.

In conclusion, the short duration of treatment, high rates of adherence, and clinical benefit imply that CGRI offers a significant improvement over existing PTSD and panic disorder treatment options.

Reference:

Cuyler, R. N., Katdare, R., Thomas, S., & Telch, M. J. (2022). Real-world outcomes of an innovative digital therapeutic for treatment of panic disorder and PTSD: A 1,500 patient effectiveness study. In Frontiers in Digital Health (Vol. 4). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2022.976001