Abstract

Aim. This study was conducted to examine the effect of combined inhalation of lavender oil, chamomile and Neroli oil on vital signs of patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Background. Increase in vital signs in patients with acute coronary syndrome worsens the disease and increases anxiety. The use of complementary medicine for better patient outcomes has been usually considered by the nurses due to the low complications and relatively low costs.

Method. This was a single-blinded, randomized clinical trial that carried out at the Emam Sajad Hospital in Shahryar, Tehran, Iran in 2016.  After obtaining the approval from the Ethics Committee of Iran University of Medical Sciences, 75 patients aged 20 to 80 years who signed the informed consent were recruited and randomly allocated into three groups (control, placebo, and intervention groups) using block randomization design (25 subjects in each group). In the intervention group, patients were asked to strew 2 drops of the aroma on an eye pad, keep their hands at the distance of 5 cm from their nose and take deep breath 10 times. After this, the pad was placed beside the pillow of the patient until the next morning. In the placebo group, this process was carried out using distilled water and the control group received routine care. The patients’ vital signs were measured before intervention, one hour after and every four hours after intervention until the next morning. Data were analyzed in SPSS, version 22, using chi-square test, t-test and ANOVA.

Findings. Before intervention, there was no statistically significant difference between three groups in terms of demographic characteristics as well as pulse rate, respiratory rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The results showed that the combination of three aromas decreased pulse rate, respiration rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure in one, four, eight and twelve hours after the intervention in the aromatherapy group compared to the time before the intervention.

Conclusion. The use of aroma as a complementary method in patients with acute coronary syndrome could decrease their pulse rate, respiratory rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Due to the low risk and suitable accessibility to these aromas, the results can be used by nurses in the critical care unit and patient caregivers to improve patients' vital signs.