Acute Coronary Syndrome and Acupressure

May 21, 2026 updated by: Saadet Can Çiçek, Abant Izzet Baysal University

The Effect of Acupressure on Anxiety And Physiological Parameters in Individuals Diagnosed With Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Study

This study aims to examine the effect of acupressure on physiological parameters and anxiety levels in individuals diagnosed with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS).

H1-1: Acupressure applied to individuals with ACS has an effect on blood pressure.

H1-2: Acupressure applied to individuals with ACS has an effect on heart rate. H1-3: Acupressure applied to individuals with ACS has an effect on respiratory rate.

H1-4: Acupressure applied to individuals with ACS has an effect on pain levels. H1-5: Acupressure applied to individuals with ACS has an effect on anxiety levels.

H1-6: Acupressure applied to individuals with ACS has an effect on cortisol levels.

H1-7: Acupressure applied to individuals with ACS has an effect on ECG changes.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) affects millions of people every year; It refers to three types of coronary artery disease: unstable angina pectoris, non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTE MI) and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). It is known that 19 million people in the world and 161 thousand people in our country lost their lives due to Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). Approximately 3 million people worldwide die due to STEMI.Individuals experiencing ACS generally; It is observed that he/she experiences burning, stinging and compressive chest pain, tachycardia, sweating, fatigue, dizziness, dyspnea, nausea, anxiety and depression.Management of the disease is combined with pharmacological applications; It is tried to be provided with non-pharmacological applications such as education, acupuncture and acupressure. When the literature is examined, acupressure application; in the physiological parameters of individuals with myocardial infarction; It brings blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate to normal limits, and increases oxygen saturation and sleep quality; It appears to reduce anxiety and pain.For all these reasons, this study aims to examine the effect of acupressure on physiological parameters (blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, pain and cortisol) and anxiety levels in individuals diagnosed with ACS.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

68

Phase

  • 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 Locations

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Volunteer to participate in the study,

    • Those aged 18 and over
    • Able to speak Turkish
    • Diagnosed with ACS for the first time
    • Cardiopulmonary resuscitation not applied
    • No orientation problems (those who score 15 on the Glasgow Coma Scale)
    • Not diagnosed with psychiatric disease
    • No amputation, fistula, lymphedema, neuropathy or hemiplegia in any of the Upper Extremities
    • Those who underwent femoral intervention for CAG procedure
    • Those who have not used any integrative practices based on pressure and stimulation such as acupressure, acupuncture and reflexology in the last month.
    • Vital signs (28) are within normal range:

Blood pressure: 90/60-120/80 mmHg Heart rate: 60-100 min Respiratory rate: 12-18 min

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Those with arrhythmia (AF, VT etc.)
  • Patients who have previously undergone Coronary Angiography
  • Diagnosed with myocarditis, pericarditis
  • Those who do not take any speed-breaking drugs (beloc, arlec, etc.).
  • Patients who underwent radial intervention for CAG procedure

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: acupressure
acupressure application and Routine care and treatment (filling out the initial hospitalization documents, measuring vital signs, taking an ECG, preparing for the CAG procedure, administering the ordered medications).
Other: acupressure
  • First follow-up (first 0-30 minutes of admission): Participants received routine care and treatment within the first 0-30 minutes of admission, in accordance with hospital protocol.
  • Second follow-up (6 hours after the CAG procedure): After the coronary angiography procedure was completed (after the sandbag was removed), the first acupressure application was performed on individuals whose vital signs were within the normal range.
  • Third follow-up (12 hours after the CAG procedure): Approximately 12 hours after the coronary angiography procedure, the second acupressure application was performed on individuals.
  • Fourth follow-up (Cortisol measurement): The fourth follow-up was conducted at 8:00 a.m. (sunrise) to determine cortisol levels. Physiological parameters were evaluated, and a venous blood sample was taken to determine cortisol levels.
No Intervention: control
Routine care and treatment (filling out the initial hospitalization documents, measuring vital signs, taking an ECG, preparing for the CAG procedure, administering the ordered medications).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
means of blood pressure
Time Frame: up to 30 minutes
In this study, blood pressure was measured using monitors in the intensive care unit.
up to 30 minutes
means of hear rate
Time Frame: up to 30 minutes
Heart rate is the pressure exerted on the vessel wall by the blood thrown by the left ventricle from the skin surface to the aorta during systole. In the research, heart rate is measured using a monitor.
up to 30 minutes
means of respiratory rate
Time Frame: up to 30 minutes
Respiratory rate is the patient's breaths per minute. In this study, respiratory rate was taken from the monitor.
up to 30 minutes
means of cortisol.
Time Frame: up to 60 minutes
The cortisol value in the blood will be measured.
up to 60 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
means of subjective anxiety scores.
Time Frame: up to 30 minutes
numerical anxiety scale. The total score between 0-10 obtained.
up to 30 minutes
means of subjective pain scores.
Time Frame: up to 30 minutes
visual analog scale. It consists of a straight line with endpoints that define end limits such as "no pain" and "pain as bad as possible". The patient is asked to mark the level of pain on the line between the two endpoints.
up to 30 minutes
electrocardiography evaluation
Time Frame: up to 30 minutes
Electrocardiography is the process of recording the electrical activity occurring in the heart to examine the functioning of the heart muscle and neural conduction system.
up to 30 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Abant Izzet Baysal University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: aynur açıkgöz, PhD student, Abant Izzet Baysal University

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)

May 5, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

May 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 14, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 2, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

March 8, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 26, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 21, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AIBU-SBF-AYN-3

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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