Minimizing short-term complications in patients who have undergone cardiac invasive procedure: a randomized controlled trial involving position change and sandbag.

OBJECTIVE The study aimed to evaluate the effects of putting a sandbag on femoral access site after cardiac invasive procedure and changing patients' position in bed on vascular complications rate and the severity of back pain related to the duration of bed rest after procedure. METHODS This randomized controlled study included 169 patients divided into five different groups assigned randomly. Group 1 patients were applied 4.5 kg sandbag for 30 minutes and Group 2 patients were applied 2.3 kg sandbag for 2 hours on femoral access site after procedure. Group 1 and 2 patients' body positions were changed every hour beginning from the second hour. Group 3 patients received application of 4.5 kg sandbag for 30 minutes and Group 4 patients were applied 2.3 kg sandbag for 2 hours on femoral access site after procedure and these patients' body positions were not changed after catheterization. Group 5 patients remained in supine position without changing position and had no application of a sandbag. RESULTS The incidence of vascular complications was not significantly different in the group with application of sandbag when compared with the group without application of sandbag. Back pain was reported more often in the patients whose positions were not changed and whose heads of beds were not raised (p<0.05). CONCLUSION Sandbag was not effective in decreasing the incidence of the vascular complications after procedure. To increase the comfort and to decrease the back pain of the patient, the patient's position should be changed and the head of the bed should be raised about 30 or 45 degrees.