scholarly journals The Effects of Aromatherapy on Intensive Care Unit Patients’ Stress and Sleep Quality: A Nonrandomised Controlled Trial

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun Hee Cho ◽  
Mi-Young Lee ◽  
Myung-Haeng Hur

Background. Stress has both physiological and psychological effects and can negatively impact patients’ treatment and recovery. We examined whether the aromatherapy alleviated patients’ stress and improved their sleep quality and provided data that can be utilized in clinical settings. Methods. This was a nonrandomised controlled experimental study. Participants included lucid adult patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit and had spent more than two nights there. The experimental treatment required participants to engage in deep breathing with essential oils as part of the aromatherapy. The control group was instructed to go to sleep without receiving the lavender aroma oil. Results. The experimental group and control group showed a significant difference in perceived stress (F=60.11, p<.001), objective stress index (F=25.65, p<.001), systolic blood pressure (F=9.09, p<.001), diastolic blood pressure (F=2.47, p=.046), heart rate (F=5.71, p<.001), and sleep quality (F=109.46, p<.001). Conclusions. The results revealed that aromatherapy alleviated stress and improved sleep quality in intensive care unit patients after 2 days of the experimental treatment. These results demonstrate that aromatherapy affects stress and sleep quality, thus indicating its value in nursing interventions. This trial is registered with KCT0002344.

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myeong-Sook Ju ◽  
Sahng Lee ◽  
Ikyul Bae ◽  
Myung-Haeng Hur ◽  
Kayeon Seong ◽  
...  

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of aroma massage applied to middle-aged women with hypertension. The research study had a nonequivalent control group, nonsynchronized design to investigate the effect on home blood pressure (BP), ambulatory BP, and sleep. The hypertensive patients were allocated into the aroma massage group (n=28), the placebo group (n=28), and the no-treatment control group (n=27). To evaluate the effects of aroma massage, the experimental group received a massage with essential oils prescribed by an aromatherapist once a week and body cream once a day. The placebo group received a massage using artificial fragrance oil once a week and body cream once a day. BP, pulse rate, sleep conditions, and 24-hour ambulatory BP were monitored before and after the experiment. There was a significant difference in home systolic blood pressure (SBP) (F=6.71,P=0.002) between groups after intervention. There was also a significant difference in SBP (F=13.34,P=0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (F=8.46,P=0.005) in the laboratory between aroma massage and placebo groups. In sleep quality, there was a significant difference between groups (F=6.75,P=0.002). In conclusion, aroma massage may help improve patient quality of life and maintain health as a nursing intervention in daily life.


Author(s):  
Morteza Habibi Moghadam ◽  
Marzieh Asadizaker ◽  
Simin Jahani ◽  
Elham Maraghi ◽  
Hakimeh Saadatifar ◽  
...  

 Objective: Venous thromboembolism, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is a common complaint in critically ill patients. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the effect of nursing interventions, based on the Wells results, on the incidence of DVT in intensive care unit (ICU) patients.Methods: The present clinical trial was conducted on 72 ICU patients without DVT and PE who met the inclusion criteria according to Wells score in Dr. Ganjavian Hospital, Dezful in 2012. The participants were investigated and randomly divided into intervention (n=36) and control groups (n=36). The intervention group received preventive nursing measures based on the risk level determined by the Wells score, and routine therapeutic interventions were performed for the control group. Then, patients were evaluated using Wells score, D-dimer testing, and Doppler sonography on the 1st, 5th, and 10th days. Data were finally coded and entered into SPSS version 23. Data analysis was performed using Chi-square, Fisher’s exact, and Mann–Whitney U tests.Results: The incidence of DVT in both groups showed that 2 patients of the control group who were identified to be at risk using the Wells score were diagnosed with DVT while none of the patients of the intervention group experienced DVT. The present study showed that 22.2% of the patients of the control group suffered from non-pitting edema, which was significantly different from the intervention group (p=0.005).Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that using the Wells score for early identification of the at-risk patients and nursing interventions based on this score’s results is helpful in the prevention of DVT. Appropriate nursing interventions were also effective in reducing the incidence of non-pitting edema in the lower extremities.


Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhu Zhu ◽  
Matthew Bower ◽  
Sara Stern-Nezer ◽  
Steven Atallah ◽  
Dana Stradling ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: Intravenous nicardipine infusion is effective for intensive blood pressure (BP) control in patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, its use requires close hemodynamic monitoring in the intensive care unit (ICU). Prompt transition from nicardipine infusion to oral antihypertensives may reduce ICU length of stay (LOS). This study aimed to examine the effect of early verse late initiation of oral antihypertensives on hospital resource utilization in patients with hypertensive ICH. Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients with hypertensive ICH and initial systolic BP ≥ 180 mmHg from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017. Only patients who received nicardipine infusion were included. Based on timing of receiving oral antihypertensives within or after 24 hours of emergency department arrival, patients were divided into study or control group, respectively. Baseline characteristics, duration of nicardipine infusion, ICU and hospital LOS, functional outcome at hospital discharge, and the cost were compared between the 2 groups using univariate and multivariate analysis to adjust for dependent variables. Results: A total of 166 patients (90 in study group, 76 in control group) were identified. There was no significant difference in demographic features, past medical history or initial SBP between the 2 groups. Patients in study group had lower initial NIHSS and ICH scores but higher GCS score than those in the control group. Using multivariant regression analysisto adjust for initial SBP, NIHSS, GCS and ICH scores, early initiation of oral antihypertensives was associated with significant shorter ICU LOS (median 2 vs 5, p =0.004), decreased duration of nicardipine infusion (55.5 ±60.1 vs 121.6 ±141.3, P =0.002), less pharmaceutical cost (median $14207 vs $ 29299, p =0.007) and total hospital cost (median $ 24564 vs $ 47366, p =0.007). After adjustment of confounders, there was also no significant difference in functional independence (mRS 0-2, 42.2% vs 17.1%, p =0.112) or mortality (6.7% vs 13.2%, p = 0.789) between the 2 groups. Conclusions: Early initiation of oral antihypertensive therapy is associated with reduced resource utilization and hospital cost in patients with hypertensive ICH.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Gilberto Arias-Hernández ◽  
Cruz Vargas-De-León ◽  
Claudia C Calzada-Mendoza ◽  
María Esther Ocharan-Hernández

Background. Postpartum preeclampsia is a serious disease related to high blood pressure that occurs commonly within the first six days after delivery. Objective. To evaluate if diltiazem improves blood pressure parameters in early puerperium patients with severe preeclampsia. Methodology. A randomized, single-blind longitudinal clinical trial of 42 puerperal patients with severe preeclampsia was carried out. Patients were randomized into two groups: the experimental group (n = 21) received diltiazem (60 mg) and the control group (n = 21) received nifedipine (10 mg). Both drugs were orally administered every 8 hours. Systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressures as well as the heart rate were recorded and analyzed (two-way repeated measures ANOVA) at baseline and after 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, and 48 hours. Primary outcome measures were all the aforementioned blood pressure parameters. Secondary outcome measures included the number of hypertension and hypotension episodes along with the length of stay in the intensive care unit. Results. No statistical differences were found between groups (diltiazem vs. nifedipine) regarding basal blood pressure parameters. Interarm differences in blood pressure (systolic, diastolic, and mean) and heart rate were statistically significant between treatment groups from 6 to 48 hours. Patients in the diltiazem group had lower blood pressure levels than patients in the nifedipine group. Significantly, patients who received diltiazem had fewer hypertension and hypotension episodes and stayed fewer days in the intensive care unit than those treated with nifedipine. Conclusions. Diltiazem controlled arterial hypertension in a more effective and uniform manner in patients under study than nifedipine. Patients treated with diltiazem had fewer collateral effects and spent less time in the hospital. This trial is registered with NCT04222855.


Author(s):  
Seyedeh Najmeh Hosseini ◽  
Arash Ghodousi ◽  
Narges Sadeghi ◽  
Somayeh Abbasi

Background: The experience of having neonates in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a psychological crisis. It might cause many emotional problems for parents. Entire parental support is among the duties of the healthcare team. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the nursing support received by the mothers with Newborn Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and the mothers of other neonates admitted to the NICU. Methods: The present cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study was conducted in the selected hospitals in Kerman Province, Iran. In total, 62 mothers with NAS and 61 non-addicted mothers with neonates admitted to the NICU were selected through convenience sampling method. The inclusion criteria were neonates under the care of parents, neonate admitted to the NICU for at least 24 hours, opiate dependence in the case group mothers, and no substance dependence in the control group mothers. The amount of nursing support for mothers having neonates with NAS was compared with that of the control mothers. The study groups were homogenized in terms of the study variables (neonate age, gender, and the duration of hospitalization). The required data were collected by the Nurse-Parent Support Tool (NPST) and analyzed in SPSS. Results: The study results revealed that among the neonates of 123 mothers, 75(60.97%) were boys, and 58(39.02%) were girls. The majority of neonates in both groups were breastfed. The mean±SD age of the mothers in the case and control group were 31.93±7.25 and 28.99±4.36 years, respectively. The nursing support level was desirable in both groups, and no significant difference was found in this regard (P>0.05). Furthermore, the level of nursing support in emotional, information-communication, self-esteem, and quality caregiving support dimensions was desirable in both groups. Conclusion: The obtained results revealed that nurses’ support was desirable in both groups. The prevalence of maternal addiction and the impact of this social harm on neonates who were admitted are essential. Furthermore, families having neonates with NAS need more support from the healthcare staff and nurses, in comparison with healthy parents; thus, the importance of this issue should be addressed in training and briefing courses for nurses.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Isabel Castrejón Vázquez ◽  
Aldo Arturo Reséndiz-Albor ◽  
Mario A. Ynga-Durand ◽  
Ivonne Maciel Arciniega Martínez ◽  
Vanessa Ivonne Orellana-Villazon ◽  
...  

Immunomodulatory agents have been proposed as therapeutic candidates to improve outcomes in sepsis. Transferon™, a dialyzable leukocyte extract (DLE), has been supported in Mexico as an immunomodulatory adjuvant in anti-infectious therapy. Here we present a retrospective study describing the experience of a referral pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with Transferon™ in sepsis. We studied clinical and laboratory data from 123 patients with sepsis (15 in the DLE group and 108 in the control group) that were admitted to PICU during the period between January 2010 and December 2016. Transferon™ DLE use was associated with lower C reactive protein (CRP), increase in total lymphocyte counts (TLC), and decrease in total neutrophil count (TNC) 72 hours after Transferon™ DLE administration. The control group did not present any significant difference in CRP values and had lower TLC after 72 hours of admission. There was no difference in PICU length of stay between control and Transferon™ DLE group. Transferon™ DLE administration was associated with a higher survival rate at the end of PICU stay. This study shows a possible immunomodulatory effect of Transferon™ on pediatric sepsis patients.


Author(s):  
Leila Sayadi ◽  
Ebrahim Khadem ◽  
Elnaz Nasiri

Background: Thirst is a prevalent problem among patients in intensive care unit. This study aimed to compare the effects of menthol-cold water and psyllium on thirst and xerostomia among patients in intensive care unit. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2018–2019. Participants were 132 patients consecutively recruited from the intensive care units of two teaching hospitals, Tehran, Iran. They were randomly allocated to either a menthol-cold water, a psyllium, or a control group (44 patients in each group). Participants in the menthol-cold water and the psyllium groups received mouth wash with respectively menthol-cold water and psyllium in two fifteen-minute rounds with a thirty-minute interval. A visual analogue scale was used to assess thirst severity, distress, and xerostomia before and after each round of mouth wash. Data were analyzed through non-parametric statistical tests. Results: There were no significant differences among the groups respecting baseline characteristics, thirst severity and distress, and xerostomia. However, among-group differences respecting thirst severity, distress, and xerostomia were statistically significant after the intervention (P < 0.001). Mouth wash with psyllium was associated with significantly greater reduction in thirst severity, distress, and xerostomia compared with mouth wash with menthol-cold water (P< 0.001). Conclusion: Both menthol-cold water and psyllium are effective in reducing thirst and xerostomia among patients in intensive care unit, though the effectiveness of psyllium is significantly greater than menthol-cold water. Educating nurses about thirst and xerostomia assessment and herbal remedies for their management may help them effectively manage their patients’ thirst and xerostomia.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105477382110433
Author(s):  
Özgül Öz ◽  
Gülzade Uysal ◽  
Duygu Sönmez Düzkaya

To determine the effect of traditional and disposable bed baths performed in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) on the physiologic parameters of children. This research was conducted as a randomized controlled trial with children who were monitored in the PICU. It was found that the pulse and blood pressure immediately after the bath were higher for both bath applications and was the lowest 30 minutes after the bath ( p < .05). Children who used traditional baths had a lower body temperature than those who used the disposable bed bath after bathing for the second day. Oxygen saturation averages were found that within the group to be the highest 30 minutes after bathing methods ( p < .05). Both bathing methods applied in the PICU had a positive effect on physiologic parameters. It may be recommended to regularly perform the most appropriate bathing for patients with stable hemodynamics in PICUs.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105477382110473
Author(s):  
Gamze Yilmaz ◽  
Dilek Küçük Alemdar

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of supportive interventions on the stress levels of mothers with infants hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). This study was a prospective, pre-and post-test randomized controlled trial. The research was completed with 85 mothers in two groups of 45 subjects and 40 controls selected at random. Data collection used the Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS:NICU), NICU Parent Belief Scale (NICU:PBS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI TX-2) and saliva cortisol analysis. There were statistically significant differences in favor of the experiment group for the PSS:NICU images and sounds subscale and PBS total points after supportive interventions ( p < .05). Supportive nursing interventions were effective in reducing stress related to the intensive care environment, anxiety levels and saliva cortisol levels and increasing parental belief among mothers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 495-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelia Koutsioumpa ◽  
Demosthenes Makris ◽  
Athina Theochari ◽  
Dimitra Bagka ◽  
Stathis Stathakis ◽  
...  

Background Critical illness polyneuropathy or myopathy is a severe disorder that may adversely affect patients in the intensive care unit, resulting in reduced mobilization, decline in muscle mass, and prolonged recovery periods. Objective To examine whether the application of trans-cutaneous electrical neuromuscular stimulation (TENMS) reduces the incidence or severity of myopathy related to critical illness in intensive care unit patients. Methods A total of 80 patients aged 18 years or older with an intensive care unit stay of 96 hours or more and receipt of mechanical ventilation for 96 hours or more were initially enrolled in a prospective, open-label randomized controlled trial in a university hospital. Patients received either conventional physical therapy alone (control group) or conventional physical therapy plus TENMS (TENMS group) for 10 days. Myopathy was assessed histologically (by needle biopsy of the quadriceps muscles) on the 4th and 14th days of the intensive care unit stay. Results Of the 68 patients who completed the study, 27 (40%) had myopathy on the 14th day: 11 patients in the TENMS group (9 mild, 1 moderate, and 1 severe) and 16 patients in the control group (13 mild, 2 moderate, and 1 severe). Patients who progressed from mild to moderate or severe myopathy between the 4th and 14th days had significantly lower body mass index (P = .001) and longer time periods with inadequate nutrition (P = .049) compared with the other patients. Mean (SD) Rankin scale scores at 6 months were 3.2 (1.8) and 3.8 (2.1) in the TENMS and control groups, respectively (P = .09). Conclusion TENMS had no significant impact on myopathy in the critically ill patients in this study.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document