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Background & Aim: Anxiety is one of the most important mental problems in patients who are candidate for coronary angiography, which can have negative physiological and psychological consequences and ultimately lead to the increased hospital stay, increased patient need for analgesics, increased costs and increased incidence of angiographic complications. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of aromatherapy on anxiety in patients undergoing coronary angiography.
Methods & Materials: In this randomized clinical trial, 80 patients undergoing coronary angiography referred to the post-cath. ward of Shahid Mohammadi hospital in Bandar Abbas in 2018 were selected and allocated into two groups of intervention and control through the random numbers table. In the intervention group, the eye pads impregnated with 0.2 ml of peppermint oil were used, and in the control group, the pads impregnated with 0.2 ml of placebo were placed on their chest for 20 minutes. Patient’s anxiety levels were recorded before and after the intervention. A demographic characteristics questionnaire and the Spielberger standard questionnaire were used for the data collection. The   data were analyzed by the SPSS software version 24 using the descriptive and inferential statistical methods in accordance with the objectives of the study.
Results: The results of data analysis showed that aromatherapy reduced the anxiety of patients in the intervention group, which was significantly different from the control group (P=0.006). Paired t-test also showed that in the intervention group, the mean score of anxiety after the intervention was significantly lower than that of before the intervention (P<0.001), however this difference was not significant in the control group (P=0.90).
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, we can conclude that aromatherapy with the inhalation of peppermint aroma has been effective in reducing anxiety in patients undergoing coronary angiography. It is recommended that nurses use aromatherapy as a non-pharmacological approach to reduce the patients' anxiety.
Clinical trial registry: IRCT20190225042844N1
 

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Background & Aim: Dialysis headache is one of the most common complications of hemodialysis and is often a challenge for nephrologists, neurologists and headache specialists. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of inhalation aromatherapy using lavender on the severity of headache in hemodialysis patients.
Methods & Materials: In this randomized clinical trial, 82 patients from hemodialysis wards of Golestan Hospital in Ahvaz and Shahidzadeh Hospital in Behbahan in 2019 were selected and randomly assigned to either intervention or control groups using the stratified permuted block randomization. For the intervention group, cotton soaked in three drops of lavender essential oil 20% was attached to the collar of the patient and he/she was asked to inhale it for 30 minutes. For the control group, distilled water was used. The intervention was repeated for four weeks (three days per week). The severity of dialysis headache was measured using the Numeric Rating Scale.
Results: In the intervention group, both the severity and the frequency of dialysis headache decreased during 12 sessions of aromatherapy, compared to the control group (placebo), and the decrease was statistically significant (P˂0.001).
Conclusion: Due to the fact that complementary medicine has increasingly become a part of nursing care, aromatherapy with lavender can be used as a complementary measure reducing the severity and frequency of dialysis headaches.
Clinical trial registry: IRCT20190718044263N1
 

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Background & Aim: Considering the use of aromatherapy as a non-pharmacological method of pain control and a scarcity of studies in this area, the aim of the study was to compare the effect of breast milk odor and Rosa damascena aroma on pain and crying due to blood sampling in neonates.
Methods & Materials: In this cross over clinical trial study, 40 neonates hospitalized in the NICU of Ali Ibn Abitalib hospital in Rafsanjan were divided into two groups (breast milk odor and Rosa damascena aroma). In the first step, tree minutes before blood sampling until its completion, cotton soaked in 2 cc of breast milk was placed at a distance of three centimeters from the neonate’s nose. In the next step, cotton soaked with two drops of rose essential oil was used, similar to the method of breast milk. For the second sample, the order of interventions was changed. The pain was calculated with the NIPS instrument and crying with a stopwatch by a person who was blinded to the groups. The data were analyzed by STATA software version 14.
Results: The mean score of pain for two periods in two groups were 3.75±2.33 and 4.30±1.70 respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.415). The mean score of crying for two periods in two groups were 16.98±16.21 and 15.03±9.99 respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.650).
Conclusion: The breast milk odor and rose damascena aroma have a similar effect in reducing the pain of neonates. Thus, according to the conditions, each of these methods can be used.
Clinical trial registry: IRCT20150713023190N11

 

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Background & Aim: Preoperative anxiety can lead to various challenges. Aromatherapy using lemon essence may alleviate certain complications. This study aimed to determine the effect of lemon essence aromatherapy on anxiety levels and physiological indices (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration rate, and SPO₂) in patients who are candidates for lower extremity fracture surgery.
Methods & Materials: This randomized clinical trial employed convenience sampling to recruit 90 patients referred to SUMS, who were subsequently randomized into control (n=45) and intervention (n=45) groups in 2021. The aromatherapy intervention commenced on the morning of the surgical procedure and extended through the operating and recovery rooms, continuing for 16 hours post-surgery. Almond essential oil was administered to the control group. Data collection involved the Spielberger Inventory for anxiety assessment and a checklist of physiological indices. Data were analyzed using two-way repeated measures ANOVA.
Results: The study findings showed a significantly greater reduction in state anxiety levels in the intervention group compared to the control group (P<0.001). Moreover, the physiological indices of the intervention group exhibited greater stability in comparison to the control group (P<0.05). However, the intervention did not have a significant impact on the diastolic blood pressure and respiratory rate of the patients (P>0.05).
Conclusion: The utilization of aromatherapy with lemon essential oil resulted in a decrease in the state anxiety and an improvement in some physiological indices of the patients who underwent surgery for lower extremity fractures. Therefore, this complementary approach is recommended in conjunction with routine treatments.
Clinical trial registry: IRCT20130616013690N10

 

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Background & Aim: The evidence shows that prehypertension is related to an increased risk of cardiovascular complications. This study aims to determine the effect of lavender inhalation aromatherapy on systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP & DBP) in people with prehypertension in Isfahan.
Methods & Materials: This two-group quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2023, involving 70 prehypertensive patients selected from comprehensive health service centers in Isfahan. Participants were selected through convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. The intervention included inhalation aromatherapy using two drops of 100% pure lavender essential oil for 20 minutes in a single session. Blood pressure measurements were taken before, immediately after, and 10 and 20 minutes post-intervention under standardized conditions. The control group received routine health center training. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 26, employing descriptive and inferential statistics, including repeated measures analysis of variance (RMA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), with a significance level set at 0.05.
Results: The results of the RMA indicated a significant interaction between time and group for both SBP (P<0.001) and DBP (P<0.001). Also, the intergroup effect for SBP was significant (P<0.001), demonstrating that the intervention group experienced a significantly greater reduction in average SBP compared to the control group. Intra-group analysis revealed a significant decrease in SBP before and after aromatherapy in the intervention group (P<0.001). In contrast, the control group did not show a significant change (P=0.068). Unlike SBP, the intergroup analysis for DBP did not yield significant results (P=0.141).
Conclusion: Considering the rising trend of high blood pressure and its widespread complications, along with the positive effects of aromatherapy as a cost-effective and accessible intervention, lavender inhalation aromatherapy is recommended as a complementary treatment strategy in conjunction with other methods.