Effects of geranium aroma on anxiety among patients with acute myocardial infarction: A triple-blind randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: The is study examined the effects of geranium aroma on anxiety among patients with AMI.

METHODS: This randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial recruited 80 patients with AMI through convenience sampling. The patients were allocated to geranium and placebo groups (n = 40 each) using stratified block randomization. On the second day of admission three drops of geranium essential oil and placebo were poured on absorbing patches attached inside the oxygen masks of the geranium and placebo groups, respectively. The patients were asked to inhale the aroma for 20 min a day on two consecutive days.

RESULTS: all stages of the intervention, the two groups had a significant difference in anxiety scores, i.e. geranium aroma caused significantly greater reductions in the anxiety scores (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Inhalation aromatherapy with geranium essential oil is recommended as an easy-to-use, intervention to reduce anxiety among patients with AMI.