Examining the effect of biofeedback on patient complaints in subjective tinnitus patients

This study aimed to evaluate the difference between the pre-and post-treatment complaints of patients with subjective tinnitus using a heart rate variability-based biofeedback-based cognitive behavioral therapy method applied with pulse oximetry. In our study, 30 patients with normal hearing who applied to Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University Hospital Otolaryngology Clinic with subjective tinnitus complaints were included. The therapy sessions consisted of a total of 10 sessions, each session lasting 20 minutes. At the beginning and end of the study, the Tinnitus Disability Questionnaire (TEA) was filled out by the patients to determine the impact level of tinnitus, and the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL90R) was filled out by the patients to determine the psychological impact level of tinnitus. The findings obtained before and after therapy were compared. Statistical analyses revealed a statistically significant difference between the mean scores before and after therapy for both scales (p<0.05). This difference was seen as a decrease in post-therapy scores. A moderate positive correlation was found between the pre-therapy TEA total scale scores and the pre-therapy SCL90R subscale and total scores. At the end of the study, 43.3% (n=13) of the participants stated that they had no complaints, and 56.7% (n=17) stated that there was a significant decrease in their complaints. Our study reveals that the biofeedback-based cognitive behavior therapy method applied using pulse oximetry has an effect that reduces the complaints of patients with tinnitus and improves their quality of life.