Journal of International Psychiatry

[Abstract] Objective To investigate the effects of comorbid anxiety on coronary CT scan image quality, heart rate and blood pressure. Methods A total of 110 patients with suspected coronary artery disease from December 2020 to January 2022 were selected in this study, and all of them were proposed to undergo coronary CT scanning. An anxiety self-rating scale (SAS) assessment is performed prior to the examination. Those with ≥ 50 points were set as the anxiety group and those with 50 points < were set as the non-anxiety group, with 38 cases and 72 cases, respectively. Coronary CT scan image quality was compared. Heart rate and blood pressure were recorded during the two groups, and heart rate variability, arterial systolic blood pressure variability, and diastolic blood pressure variability were compared. Results The heart rate variability, arterial systolic blood pressure variability and diastolic blood pressure variability in the anxiety group were significantly higher than those in the non-anxiety group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The quality of coronary CT scan imaging in the anxiety group was statistically significant compared with that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Concomitant anxiety disorders affect the quality of coronary CT scan imaging in patients with suspected coronary artery disease, and may be related to more pronounced fluctuations in heart rate and blood pressure during examination.

Key words Anxiety Disorders; CT Scan Of Coronary Arteries; Image Quality; Heart Rate; Blood Pressure