Please see a detailed article from my library on this surgical issue. There is in the article and the reference information on taking into account the level of anxiety of patients.
This is the exact topic I am struggling on- The measures taken into account in anxiety studies are HR, Systolic, Diastolic Blood pressures, Respiratory rate and Oxygen saturation. However, in the ESRD patient group none of these parameters are within normal ranges and as you reported many have CHF- some even have pace makers... I am reluctant to include these patients in the study, as their HR and BPs may not reflect their anxiety level. Then I am worried to be left with a cohort that does not represent the actual ESRD population.