Interest of Cardiac Coherence in the Prevention of Chronic Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Pilot Study (COHEPS-P)

March 11, 2026 updated by: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de la Réunion

ThThe aim of this study is to determinate the potential benefits of a respiratory training program (cardiac coherence, CC) in patients suffering from acute stress disorder, after a potentially traumatic event. Using this method is supposed to prevent the onset of chronic post traumatic stress disorder after 3 months.

This pilot study will help to determinate the need of developing this kind of complementary and alternative program, and will also provide knowledge about the feasibiility and acceptability of this program for the patients.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Each patient will be teached how to use cardiac coherence with a trained practitioner at the inclusion visit. A respiratory guide on smartphone will be given to the patient aswell as a diary in order to keep tracks of the patient's compliance to this program.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
44

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Reunion
      • Saint-Paul, Reunion, 97460
        • Recruiting
        • Etablissement Public de Santé Mentale de La Réunion
        • Contact:
          • Erick GOKALSING
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Erick GOKALSING, MD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • patients seen at medico-psychological emergency cell
  • patients with an acute stress disorder, diagnosed by DSM-5
  • patients who have experienced a potentially traumatic event for the last 3-15 days (vctim or witness)
  • patients able to read and write in French language
  • person affiliated or beneficiary of a social security scheme.
  • person who agrees to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • patients with respiratory pathology not allowing cardiac coherence training
  • patients currently practicing a regular respiratory control technique or within the last 6 months
  • patients taking beta-blocker, betamimetic, anti-arrhythmic, opioid, antidepressant
  • patients with a pacemaker or suffering from severe cardiac illness
  • patients with non-stabilized psychiatric disorder at inclusion
  • patient taking benzodiazepine unable to wean off in the week following the inclusion
  • patients with addiction
  • patients with a cognitive deficit
  • patients under guardianship or curatorship, under judicial supervision

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Cardiac Coherence Training

The cardiac coherence training will consist in the realization during 3 months by the patient, at home :

  • of 6 respiratory cycles by minute (inspiration : 4,5 seconds/expiration : 5,5 seconds),
  • during 5 minutes,
  • 3 times a day (morning, late morning and late afternoon)
Other: cardiac coherence
standard care associated to cardiac coherence training during 3 months

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Proportion of patients without Post-traumatic stress disorder
Time Frame: at month 3
Measured by the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder CheckList for DSM-5 (PCL-5)
at month 3

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Complications associated to Post-traumatic stress disorder
Time Frame: at inclusion
number of suicide attempt
at inclusion
Complications associated to Post-traumatic stress disorder
Time Frame: at month 3
Variation of suicidal risk (Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale or C-SSRS). This scale measure the risk of suicide et will be measured by un external evaluator
at month 3
Variation in heart rate variability
Time Frame: at inclusion
measured by time and frequency indices obtained on the tachogram
at inclusion
Variation in heart rate variability
Time Frame: at month 3
measured by time and frequency indices obtained on the tachogram
at month 3
Duration of scale completion
Time Frame: at inclusion
timed
at inclusion
Duration of scale completion
Time Frame: at month 3
timed
at month 3
Compliance to Cardiac coherence
Time Frame: at inclusion
percentage of time spent in cardiac coherence
at inclusion
Compliance to Cardiac coherence
Time Frame: at month 1
percentage of time spent in cardiac coherence
at month 1
Compliance to Cardiac coherence
Time Frame: at month 2
percentage of time spent in cardiac coherence
at month 2
Compliance to Cardiac coherence
Time Frame: at month 3
percentage of time spent in cardiac coherence
at month 3
Proportion of patients who refuse to participate
Time Frame: up to month 3
all screened patient will be recorded
up to month 3

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de la Réunion

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Erick GOKALSING, Etablissement Public de Santé Mentale de La Réunion

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 19, 2021

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 23, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 6, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 8, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 11, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2019/CHU/02

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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