Comparing the effects of aromatherapy massage with passion flower and sesame essential oils on pain intensity among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting: a randomized parallel trial

Pain is one of the most common complaints of patients after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of aromatherapy massage with passion flower and sesame essential oils on postoperative pain intensity among patients with CABG surgery. This double-blind randomized parallel trial was conducted from November 2019 to April 2020. Sixty candidates for CABG were conveniently selected from Chamran hospital, Isfahan, Iran, and randomly allocated to group A (aromatherapy massage with passion flower essential oil) and group B (aromatherapy massage with sesame essential oil). Aromatherapy massage for all participants was provided in four twenty-minute sessions on four consecutive days. Pain intensity was assessed before and thirty minutes after aromatherapy massage using a visual analogue scale. The Chi-square, independent-samples t, were used to analyze the data. The mean score of pain intensity in groups A and B was respectively 8.03±.08 and 7.23±1.38 on the first day, and 4.43±1.19 and 5.4±1.1 on the fourth day. A significant difference between the two groups was observed respecting the mean score of pain in the first, third, and fourth days (P < 0.05). Aromatherapy massage with passion flower essential oil is more effective than aromatherapy massage with sesame essential oil in significantly reducing pain intensity among patients with CABG surgery.