Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) awarded a $236,250 Project Grant to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) effective June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2029, under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837). This R34 developmental grant funds the creation and pilot testing of Cardiac Fears Treatment (CFT), an integrated, evidence-based psychotherapy intervention designed to address posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in cardiac patients, particularly those with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). The research will combine trauma-focused exposure therapy with interoceptive exposure techniques to target two key manifestations of cardiac-induced PTSD: trauma-related fear and cardiac-focused anxiety sensitivity.

The project deliverables include intervention development in Stage IA and a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Stage IB, in which 70 ICD patients from the UCLA Cardiac Arrhythmia Center will be randomized to receive either CFT or standard supportive therapy. This research addresses a critical clinical need, as over 20 percent of ICD patients exhibit elevated PTSD symptoms that correlate with worse mental health outcomes, increased disability, reduced quality of life, greater healthcare utilization, and higher risk of cardiac event recurrence or mortality. The developed intervention and pilot trial results are intended to generate evidence for subsequent large-scale clinical trials and establish an effective treatment for cardiac-induced psychological trauma.