Related Experiment Videos
Effect of positioning on back pain after coronary angiography
Sek Ying Chair1, Ruth E Taylor-Piliae, Gay Lam
1The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territiroies, Hong Kong, China. sychair@cuhk.edu.hk
Insights
Patients undergoing coronary angiography can safely change position in bed sooner than standard protocols allow. Early position changes reduce back pain and improve comfort without increasing vascular complications after the procedure.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Nursing
- Patient Comfort
Background:
- Coronary angiography is a common diagnostic procedure.
- Current protocols mandate prolonged bedrest (up to 24 hours) after femoral artery catheterization to prevent vascular complications.
- Extended bedrest often leads to patient discomfort, particularly back pain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of bedrest duration on back pain severity following coronary angiography.
- To compare the effects of early position changes versus traditional bedrest on patient-reported pain and vascular complications.
Main Methods:
- An experimental study with 419 participants randomly assigned to control (traditional bedrest) or experimental (hourly position changes) groups.
- The experimental group altered positions hourly (supine, side-lying) for the first 7 hours post-procedure.
- The control group maintained a supine position with the leg straight for 8-24 hours.
Main Results:
- Back pain intensity correlated with longer bedrest duration in both groups.
- The experimental group reported significantly lower back pain levels compared to the control group.
- No significant difference in femoral vascular complications (bleeding) was observed between the groups.
Conclusions:
- Early position changes after coronary angiography are safe and do not increase vascular complications.
- Allowing patients to change position hourly can alleviate back pain and enhance physical comfort.
- These findings suggest a revision of current post-angiography bedrest protocols may be beneficial.
Background:
Coronary angiography is a routine cardiac diagnostic procedure in Hong Kong. Patients are restricted to bedrest after the procedure due to potential vascular complications from using a femoral approach. Many patients are required to remain on bedrest for up to 24 hours after the procedure. The effects of reducing this bedrest time is still under investigation. In the meantime, nursing interventions aimed at decreasing patient discomfort due to prolonged bedrest are feasible to implement.
Aims:
The aims of this study were to evaluate the severity of back pain related to bedrest duration after coronary angiography and to compare the effects of changing patients' position in bed on their perceptions of back pain and on vascular complications.
Methods:
An experimental design was used, with patients randomly assigned either to a control or experimental group. The control group received the usual care, remaining supine and flat for 8-24 hours, with the affected leg straight. The experimental group changed their body position hourly, varying between supine, right side-lying, and left side-lying during the first 7 hours after coronary angiography.
Results:
A total of 419 patients participated in the study (control, n = 213; experimental, n = 206). Regardless of group assignment, back pain intensity increased with longer time on bedrest. In addition, the control group reported higher levels of pain at all five assessment times. Vascular complications in terms of bleeding at the femoral site were not significantly different between the control and experimental groups.
Conclusion:
The study findings suggest that patients may be able safely to change their position in bed earlier in the post-coronary angiography period than currently recommended in practice protocols. Changing position in bed may also reduce back pain, promote physical comfort, and possibly reduce patients' negative feelings toward coronary angiography.