Effect of Aromatherapy on Postoperative Pain: Randomized Clinical Trial

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: Completed
• Conditions: Acute Pain; Nurse's Role; Perioperative/Postoperative Complications; CAM
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: essencial oil of lavandula angustifolia; Other: grape seed vegetable oil

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 138
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

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

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• 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

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
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

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Acute pain	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

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic)	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	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	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	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	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

• Sponsor: University of Sao Paulo

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 18, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): July 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 14, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 2, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): March 6, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 10, 2024
• Last Verified: December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Aromatherapy; Acute Pain; Perioperative Nursing
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Pathologic Processes; Acute Pain; Postoperative Complications
• Other Study ID 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