The effect of progressive relaxation exercise on pain level, sleep quality and analgesic consumption of patients undergoing open heart surgery: A randomized controlled study

Aim: This study aims to investigate the effect of progressive relaxation exercise (PRE) on postoperative pain level, sleep quality and analgesic consumption in patients undergone open heart surgery. Design: The study is a randomized controlled single-blind quasi-experimental research design. Key words: Open heart surgery, Pain level, Progressive relaxation exercise, Sleep quality Methods: A total of 60 patients, 30 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group, will be included in the study. The PRE implementation phase will be performed twice a day, in the morning and evening, during the first 3 days when patients who have undergone open heart surgery are admitted to the service. Before and after the application, measurements will be made regarding the pain level, sleep quality and analgesic consumption of the patients. Results: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the important health problems worldwide today. This situation reveals the necessity of researches on post-surgical pain and sleep complaints of patients who undergone open heart surgery. Reporting Method: This study has adhered to relevant EQUATOR guidelines and named the reporting method. Conclusion: CAD is one of the most important health problems worldwide today. It is extremely important to use non-pharmacological methods to relieve the pain experienced by patients after open heart surgery, to reduce analgesic consumption and to increase sleep quality. Considering these negative effects, it shows that there is a need for experimental studies based on effective non-drug methods. Trial registration: This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov in February 2023 (NCT05727280).