The Effect of Benson Relaxation on Physiological Criteria in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Objective One of the common problems of patients undergoing open heart surgery is physiological disorders due to anxiety that can affect the result of surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Benson relaxation on the physiological sysmptoms of patients undergoing open heart surgery. Methods This is a clinical trial performed on 90 candidates for open heart surgery referred to the hospitals affiliated to AJA University of Medical Sciences in Tehran in 2014. The subjects were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. In both groups, the physiological symptoms (respiratory rate, pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure) of the patients were measured one day before surgery. Benson relaxation was performed on patients in the experimental group in the morning of the surgery day and the physiological symptoms of both groups were evaluated after intervention. Data analysis was performed in SPSS V. 21 software using Chi-square test, paired t-test and independent t-test at a significance level of P‌<0.05. Results There was no significant difference in physiological symptoms of both groups before intervention. After intervention, a significant difference between the groups was reported in terms of all physiological variables (P=0.001). Paired t-test results also showed a significant difference between the two groups before and after the intervention in terms of all physiological variables except diastolic blood pressure. Conclusion Benson relaxation significantly improved the physiological status of patients undergoing open heart surgery. It is recommended that nurses use this method to improve the physiological status of these patients.