Objectives: Acute myocardial infarction (MI) and hospitalization are one of the most stressful situations for many patients. Aromatherapy is a branch of the complementary medicine that is effective in anxiety. The present study aims to determine the effect of aromatherapy with rose essential oil (REO) on apparent anxiety in patients with acute MI.
Methods: This randomized clinical trial was carried out on patients with acute MI admitted to the cardiac ward of Heshmatieh Hospital in Sabzevar. Eighty patients were randomly assigned to two aromas and placebo groups, who received three drops of REO or placebo by inhalation three times a day for 3 days. Before and after the intervention, patients' anxiety levels were measured by the Spielberger questionnaire. Data were analyzed by chi-square and the independent and paired and t-tests.
Results: Before the intervention, the mean of apparent anxiety was not significantly different in the intervention and control groups (48.44 ± 3.81 and 51.38 ± 7.21, respectively, p=0.16) while this parameter was significant after the intervention in both experimental groups (47.27 ± 7.11 and 44.16 ± 4.63, respectively, p=0.000), with a reduction in the mean of apparent anxiety in the intervention group. Moreover, the results of paired t-test revealed that the anxiety scores decreased significantly in the test group before and after the intervention (51.38 ± 7.21 and 44.16 ± 4.63, p=0.000).
Conclusions: Considering the positive effects of REO used in this study to reduce anxiety in patients with acute MI, the use of REO is recommended as a complementary treatment to reduce anxiety in these patients.
Keywords: anxiety; aromatherapy; damask rose; myocardial infarction.
© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.