The Effect of Aromatherapy with Lavender Essential Oil on Anxiety and Stress in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Abstract

Background: Depression and anxiety are among the most common mental disorders before and after surgery. Aromatherapy is a treatment that has grown substantially in recent years in comparison with other complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) to relieve anxiety. Objectives: This study investigated the effect of inhaling lavender essence on the physiological and psychological status of patients who are candidates for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was performed on 60 patients who were undergoing CABG surgery at the hospitals of Artesh Jomhory Eslami (AJA) University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Patients who met specific inclusion criteria were selected and randomly allocated into two groups: a control group that inhaled room air and an experimental group that inhaled from a piece of cotton impregnated with two drops of lavender essence. This intervention was done on the morning of surgery. To evaluate these measures, a Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) questionnaire was filled out by the patient before and after the intervention. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive and analytic statistics. Results: After the intervention, the study results showed statistically significant differences between the two study groups in heart rate (mean = 78.83, P = 0.02) and anxiety level (mean = 6.63, P = 0.02). However, the differences between the two groups were not significant regarding stress level (mean = 8.63, P = 0.55) and other physiological variables. Conclusions: Inhalation aromatherapy is an effective method for reducing the heart rate and the level of anxiety in patients before CABG surgery. Given that the physiological and psychological health of patients are important responsibilities for nurses, aromatherapy can be considered a safe and effective relaxation method before invasive interventions. Learning this method is recommended for students and nurses.