title: The effects of blood-draw and injection stimuli on the vasovagal response.
abstract: Vasovagal reactions (VVR) are common, complicating and deterring people from various medical procedures. A recent perspective (R. R. Diehl, ) suggests that VVR developed from the adaptive process of hemorrhagic fainting, perhaps as a means of preparing for anticipated blood loss. The primary goal of this study was to compare vasovagal symptoms during intravenous-injection and blood-draw videos. Sixty-two young adults watched the videos. Vasovagal symptoms were assessed with self-report, blood pressure, and heart rate variability. As predicted, participants reported more vasovagal symptoms and anxiety following the blood-draw video. Sympathetic nervous system activity (low- to high-frequency ratio) decreased during both videos but significantly more during the blood-draw video, although this could be reversed by the Applied Tension technique. Results are discussed in terms of the relevance of specific stimuli and emotions in VVR.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Cardiovascular Psychophysiology, Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. philippe.gilchrist@mail.mcgill.ca
authors.forename: Philippe T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Gilchrist
authors.forename: Blaine
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ditto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001296:Audiovisual Aids; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007267:Injections / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D019462:Syncope, Vasovagal / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult