End-Tidal pCO2 in Blood Phobics During Viewing of Emotion- and Disease-Related Films

Pre-syncopal experiences have not necessarily been restricted to those reporting prior fainting experience or phobic responses to BII material.

“and pre-syncopal experiences have not necessarily been restricted to those reporting prior fainting experience or phobic responses to BII material (Ritz, Wilhelm, et al., 2005).”

According to these criteria, a minority of the 12 examined patients showed a sufficient biphasic pattern: one in HR and SBP, and the other in HR, SBP, and DBP.

“According to these criteria, a minority of the 12 examined patients showed a sufficient biphasic pattern: one in HR and SBP, and the other in HR, SBP, and DBP.”

In the research of the first author, a dual criterion was adopted for which a diphasic response during surgery films was only identified if in subsequent 10-s averages across the film period, the initial activation exceeded the level of a film stimulus of negative valence, and the subsequent deactivation exceeded that during viewing of a neutral film.

“In the research of the first author, a dual criterion was adopted for which a diphasic response during surgery films was only identified if in subsequent 10-s averages across the film period, (1) the initial activation exceeded the level of a film stimulus of negative valence, and (2) the subsequent deactivation exceeded that during viewing of a neutral film (Ritz, Wilhelm, et al., 2005).”

Premature termination of exposure by patients may have prohibited the observation of diphasic patterns in some studies.

“In other studies, premature termination of exposure by the patients may have prohibited the observation of diphasic patterns, as in our initial study with 3 out of 12 patients terminating one or both of the two 5-min surgery films prematurely (Ritz, Wilhelm, Gerlach, et al., 2005) or in Öst, Sterner et al. (1984) with 14 out of 18 patients terminating a 30-min surgery film early.”

Overall, these findings closely match the authors' recent observations with BII-phobia patients during exposure to surgery films.

“Overall, these findings closely match our recent observations with BII-phobia patients during exposure to surgery films (Ayala et al., 2010; Ritz et al., 2005; 2009).”

In two of the authors' own studies, BII-phobia patients had a tendency to hyperventilate when exposed to surgery film scenes.

“Indeed, in two of our own studies, we demonstrated that BII-phobia patients have a tendency to hyperventilate when exposed to surgery film scenes (Ayala et al., 2010; Ritz, Wilhelm, et al., 2005).”

BII-phobia patients typically rate their experience during surgery film viewing as particularly low on the affective dimension of submissiveness-dominance, i.e., as having little control over the situation.

“Consistent with this, BII-phobia patients typically rate their experience during surgery film viewing as particularly low on the affective dimension of submissiveness – dominance (i.e., as having little control over the situation; Ritz, Wilhelm, Gerlach, et al., 2005).”

Patients with greater disgust responses also showed greater drops in PCO2 or stronger increases in ventilation during and/or following film presentations.

“Patients with greater disgust responses also showed greater drops in PCO2 (Ritz et al., 2005) or stronger increases in ventilation (Ayala et al., 2010; Ritz et al., 2009) during and/or following film presentations.”