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

Background: Pain is one of the most common complaints of patients after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Objectives: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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, Conclusion: 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.