Effect of Aromatherapy on Postoperative Pain: Randomized Clinical Trial

December 10, 2024 updated by: Maria Fernanda de Oliveira Faria, University of Sao Paulo

Effect of Aromatherapy on Postoperative Pain in Adult Patients in Post-anesthesics Recovering Room: Randomized Clinical Trial

Introduction: Pain is one of the main complications in the immediate postoperative period that can harm the patient and can be managed through pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods. Complementary Integrative Health Practices are non-pharmacological methods that use therapeutic resources based on traditional knowledge to treat symptoms. Among them, aromatherapy stands out, which consists of the use of essential oils through inhalation or topical application for therapeutic purposes and which can be used as a nursing intervention, especially in the context of perioperative care. Objective: To evaluate the effect of aromatherapy on postoperative pain in adult patients in the immediate postoperative period. Method: This is a randomized controlled clinical trial that will be carried out in a teaching hospital. The project was submitted to the Research Ethics Committees of the School of Nursing of the University of Sao Paulo and the University of Sao Paulo Hospital. Adult patients undergoing elective surgical procedures of any surgical specialty under anesthesia of any type will be included. Individuals diagnosed with dementia, cognitive impairment or chronic pain will be excluded; individuals with a history of asthma, allergic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, contact dermatitis or allergy to cosmetics with lavender fragrance, or hypersensitivity to the compounds used in the intervention; procedure for reoperation for any reason. The intervention will consist of the application of aromatherapy with 2% lavender essential oil through the skin and inhalation by a nurse, associated with usual care, in the immediate postoperative period; the placebo group will only receive the application of grape seed vegetable oil associated with usual care. A numerical verbal scale will be applied to assess pain and vital parameters will be measured upon patient admission, every fifteen minutes in the first hour and every thirty minutes in the second hour or after 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes, 1h30 minutes and 2 hours after applying the intervention, in the post-anesthesia recovery room. Possible associations between variables will be verified using Pearson's Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests. Comparison between means or medians will be made using the Student's t or Mann-Whitney tests, depending on the normality determined according to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The significance level adopted will be 5%.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

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Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
138

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

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Study Locations

  • Brazil
    • SP
      • São Paulo, SP, Brazil, 05508-000
        • Universidade de São Paulo

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • adult patients undergoing elective surgical procedures of any surgical specialty under anesthesia of any type

Exclusion Criteria:

  • individuals diagnosed with dementia, cognitive impairment or chronic pain;
  • individuals with a history of asthma, allergic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, contact dermatitis or allergy to cosmetics with lavender fragrance, or hypersensitivity to the compounds used in the intervention;
  • procedure for reoperation for any reason

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Group 1: 2% lavender essential oil.
Group will receive application of aromatherapy with 2% lavender essential oil dermal and inhalation via by a nurse, associated with usual care, in the immediate postoperative period.
Other: essencial oil of lavandula angustifolia
The intervention will consist of the application of aromatherapy with 2% lavender essential oil cutaneously and inhalation via by a nurse, associated with usual care, in the immediate postoperative period
Placebo Comparator: Group 2: grape seed vegetable oil.
Placebo group will only receive the application of grape seed vegetable oil associated with usual care in the post anesthetic recovery room.
Other: grape seed vegetable oil
The placebo group will only receive the application of grape seed vegetable oil associated with usual care in the immediate postoperative period.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Acute pain
Time Frame: 2 hours
A numerical verbal scale (1 to 10) for assessing pain upon patient admission, after 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes, 1h30 minutes and 2 hours after application intervention, in the post-anesthesia recovery room.
2 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic)
Time Frame: 2 hours
Non-invasive blood pressure measurement (in mmHg) upon patient admission, after 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes, 1h30 minutes and 2 hours after application intervention, in the post-anesthesia recovery room
2 hours
Heart rate
Time Frame: 2 hours
Heart rate measurement with multi parameter monitor(in bpm) upon patient admission, after 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes, 1h30 minutes and 2 hours after application intervention, in the post-anesthesia recovery room
2 hours
Respiratory frequency
Time Frame: 2 hours
Respiratory frequency assessment (breathing rate by counting the number of breaths per minute) upon patient admission, after 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes, 1h30 minutes and 2 hours after application intervention, in the post-anesthesia recovery room
2 hours
Oxygen saturation
Time Frame: 2 hours
Oxygen saturation (SpO2) measurement (in percent (%), with a pulse oximeter non-invasive device) upon patient admission, after 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes, 1h30 minutes and 2 hours after application intervention, in the post-anesthesia recovery room
2 hours
Temperature
Time Frame: 2 hours
Temperature assessment (in Celsius scale ) upon patient admission, after 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes, 1h30 minutes and 2 hours after application intervention, in the post-anesthesia recovery room
2 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Sao Paulo

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 18, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 31, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 14, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 2, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 6, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 10, 2024

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 022024 Maria Fernanda

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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