Effect of pre-procedural acupressure on pain, anxiety, and vital signs in patients undergoing coronary angiography

Radial artery access coronary angiography, used in the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease—one of the leading causes of death worldwide—has become one of the increasingly preferred methods due to its advantages. However, there is a limited amount of literature addressing nursing interventions aimed at reducing pain and anxiety caused by coronary angiography performed via the transradial approach. Based on this rationale, the aim of this randomized controlled trial was to determine the effect of pre-procedural acupressure on pain, anxiety, and vital signs in patients undergoing transradial coronary angiography. Study sample consisted of 93 patients who presented to the angiography unit of a city hospital and met the inclusion criteria between June 2024 and December 2024. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups using a stratified block randomization method: an experimental group receiving acupressure, a sham group receiving placebo acupressure, and a control group receiving only standard clinical care. Data were collected at five time points: at baseline, immediately after the acupressure procedure in the experimental group, after the placebo acupressure procedure in the sham group, 20 minutes after the initial measurement in the control group, and at 0, 2, and 4 hours following the coronary angiography procedure in all groups. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Visual Analog Scale, State Anxiety Scale, and Patient Monitoring Form and analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. The study found that the levels of pain, anxiety, and systolic blood pressure in the experimental group, where acupressure was applied, were significantly lower compared to the sham and control groups (p<0.05). In this context, it can be concluded that acupressure applied before coronary angiography is an effective nursing intervention for reducing pain, anxiety, and systolic blood pressure in patients.