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The Effect of Head of Bed Elevation on Patient Comfort After Angiography
Joan Pool1, Margaret Dercher, Belinda Hanson
1Joan Pool, RN, MSE, BSN, CCRN Staff Nurse, Cardiovascular Recovery Unit and Cardiovascular Holding Unit, Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, Missouri. Margaret Dercher, RN, BSN Staff Nurse, Cardiovascular Recovery Unit and Cardiovascular Holding Unit, Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, Missouri. Belinda Hanson, RN, BSN Staff Nurse, Cardiovascular Recovery Unit and Cardiovascular Holding Unit, Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, Missouri. Linda Heiman, RN, BSN Staff Nurse, Cardiovascular Recovery Unit and Cardiovascular Holding Unit, Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, Missouri. Yan Li, MA Biostatistician, Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, Missouri. Kim Schraeder, RN, BSN Staff Nurse, Cardiovascular Recovery Unit and Cardiovascular Holding Unit, Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, Missouri. Mary Pat Schultz, APRN Staff Nurse, Cardiovascular Recovery Unit and Cardiovascular Holding Unit, Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, Missouri. Shawna Ziglinski, RN, BSN Staff Nurse, Cardiovascular Recovery Unit and Cardiovascular Holding Unit, Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, Missouri. Marci Ebberts, RN, BSN, CCRN Clinical Education Specialist, Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, Missouri.
Background:
Maintaining patient comfort and avoiding complications after coronary angiography are important both to the patient and the nurse. Strict bed rest with the head of bed (HOB) completely flat is standard care for postprocedure positioning to decrease pressure on the femoral artery. This position is not thought to be the most comfortable position for patients.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to determine if raising the HOB to 15° would impact patient comfort after cardiac angiography.
Methods:
This study used a randomized, controlled crossover design to compare 3 groups with different HOB positions during the first hour after procedure.
Results:
Data from 71 patients demonstrated that HOB position did not significantly impact difference in pain/discomfort rating.
Conclusions:
Of all the nursing interventions designed to improve patient comfort after angiography, slightly raising the HOB was not a factor in reducing pain/discomfort.
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