Pain and sleep after open-heart surgery—inhalation peppermint essence: double-blind randomized clinical trial

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Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of inhaling peppermint essence on pain relief and sleep quality after open-heart surgery.

Methods

In a double-blind randomised clinical trial carried out in Iran in 2020, 64 cardiac patients were selected by convenience sampling and randomly allocated to aromatherapy (n=32) and placebo (n=32) groups. The aromatherapy and control groups received inhaled aromatherapy using peppermint essence and distilled water, respectively. Data gathering tools were the Numeric Pain Rating Scale and St Mary’s Hospital Sleep Questionnaire. Data were analysed using an independent t-test, χ ²test, Mann–Whitney U test and generalised estimating equation analysis.

Results

The mean severity of pain in the aromatherapy and placebo groups was 3.22±0.88 and 4.56±0.90, respectively, which was a statistically significant difference (p=0.0001). The mean sleep scores after the intervention on day 1 were 20.10±4.90 and 25.76±6.36 in the aromatherapy and placebo groups, respectively, and 18.63±5.56 and 22.62±5.69, respectively, on day 2. The difference between the two groups was statistically significantly different after the intervention in terms of sleep quality (p<0.05).

Conclusion

Aromatherapy attenuated pain and improved sleep quality after open-heart surgery. Peppermint essence aromatherapy is therefore recommended after surgery.

Related collections

Most cited references 38

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Recent years have witnessed substantially increased research regarding sex differences in pain. The expansive body of literature in this area clearly suggests that men and women differ in their responses to pain, with increased pain sensitivity and risk for clinical pain commonly being observed among women. Also, differences in responsivity to pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain interventions have been observed; however, these effects are not always consistent and appear dependent on treatment type and characteristics of both the pain and the provider. Although the specific aetiological basis underlying these sex differences is unknown, it seems inevitable that multiple biological and psychosocial processes are contributing factors. For instance, emerging evidence suggests that genotype and endogenous opioid functioning play a causal role in these disparities, and considerable literature implicates sex hormones as factors influencing pain sensitivity. However, the specific modulatory effect of sex hormones on pain among men and women requires further exploration. Psychosocial processes such as pain coping and early-life exposure to stress may also explain sex differences in pain, in addition to stereotypical gender roles that may contribute to differences in pain expression. Therefore, this review will provide a brief overview of the extant literature examining sex-related differences in clinical and experimental pain, and highlights several biopsychosocial mechanisms implicated in these male-female differences. The future directions of this field of research are discussed with an emphasis aimed towards further elucidation of mechanisms which may inform future efforts to develop sex-specific treatments.

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A systematic sleep questionnaire has been devised for assessing the previous night's sleep of a subject. It has been designed for repeated use. It is completed by the subject and is framed with the needs of the hospital patient in mind. In the present study it was given to 93 subjects in four different groups: 16 surgical inpatients, 21 medical inpatients, 32 psychiatric inpatients (in a general hospital unit), and 24 normal volunteers. Test retest reliability correlations have been derived using a nonparametric correlation coefficient (Kendall's tau). Each of the items achieved statistically significant reliability (p less than 0.0001) in all four groups, with the value for tau on the total sample varying from 0.70 to 0.96. The St. Mary's (or SMH) Sleep Questionnaire is put forward as an instrument that is a systematic inquiry into the subject's experience of sleep and that is composed of items of demonstrable reliability.

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Analysis of the problem of surgical pain is important in view of the fact that the success of surgical treatment depends largely on proper pain management during the first few days after a cardiosurgical procedure. Postoperative pain is due to intraoperative damage to tissue. It is acute pain of high intensity proportional to the type of procedure. The pain is most intense during the first 24 hours following the surgery and decreases on subsequent days. Its intensity is higher in younger subjects than elderly and obese patients, and preoperative anxiety is also a factor that increases postoperative pain. Ineffective postoperative analgesic therapy may cause several complications that are dangerous to a patient. Inappropriate postoperative pain management may result in chronic pain, immunosuppression, infections, and less effective wound healing. Understanding and better knowledge of physiological disorders and adverse effects resulting from surgical trauma, anesthesia, and extracorporeal circulation, as well as the development of standards for intensive postoperative care units are critical to the improvement of early treatment outcomes and patient comfort.

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All references

Author and article information

Contributors

Ismail Azizi-fini: (View ORCID Profile)

Journal

Title: BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care

Abbreviated Title: BMJ Support Palliat Care

Publisher: BMJ

ISSN (Print): 2045-435X

ISSN (Electronic): 2045-4368

Publication date (Electronic): August 03 2023

Page: spcare-2023-004214

Article

DOI: 10.1136/spcare-2023-004214

SO-VID: f27dbfa3-a424-4ba9-a2e4-cb06f174a2aa

History

Data availability: