Abstract

Aim and background:Patients with acute coronary syndrome are faced with numerous psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. These disorders have led to several problems in the lives of these people. The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the impact of inhaling combination of lavender, chamomile and naroli aromas on anxiety of acute coronary syndrome patients.Method:This study is a single blind clinical trial possessing a control group performed on 75 acute coronary syndrome patients in educational-curative center of Imam Sajad, Shahriar. With the help of triple blocking, the patients were randomly divided into three groups: intervention, placebo and control.  In the intervention group, two drops of lavender, chamomile and naroli essential oils were dropped on an eye-pad at 7-8 pm; then the patients were asked to hold the pad on their palms at 5-cm distance from their nose and inhale deeply for 10 times. The same pad was then placed beside the pillow of the patients during the night. In the placebo group, the same procedure was followed with distilled water; while no actions were taken for the control group. The anxiety of the patients was measured half an hour before the intervention, one and twelve hours after intervention by standard tool Spielbergers State-Trait Anxiety inventory. The collected data were analyzed by Chi square, even-T and analysis of variance via application of SPSS 22 software.Findings:Results showed that although the state-trait anxiety had no significant difference among the three groups before intervention, but the average anxiety score was significantly different among the three groups 1 hour after the intervention (P<0.001). However, this difference was not significant 12 hours after intervention (P>0.05). Moreover, the anxiety level one and 12 hours after the intervention showed significant difference in the intervention and placebo groups when compared with control group (P<0.001). Conclusion:Application of aromatherapy as one of the methods of alternative medicine can decrease the anxiety of acute coronary syndrome patients. Regarding the low side effects and easy access to lavender, Roman chamomile and naroli essential oils, the results of this study can be employed by the nurses of coronary care unit (CCU) or the family of the mentioned patients to reduce their anxiety.