Aromatherapy for Procedural Anxiety in Pain Management and Interventional Spine Procedures A Randomized Trial

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate a nonsedating agent, lavender aromatherapy, to reduce anxiety before interventional spinal procedures. Design In this prospective, single-blind study performed at a tertiary care center for an academic institution, 144 patients undergoing spinal procedures (epidural steroid injection, medial branch block, or radiofrequency ablation) were randomized into two groups of 72 patients. The experimental group was exposed to a tablet formulation of lavender aromatherapy, while the control group was exposed to tablets devoid of any scent. The exposure duration for each group was 5 mins. The primary outcome measurement was patients' anxiety state before the spinal procedure using the six-item State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Secondary outcomes quantified the rate of vasovagal events and aborted procedures because of patient intolerance. Results Compared with the control group, the posttreatment anxiety score of those exposed to lavender aromatherapy revealed a statistically significant difference as measured by the six-item State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (12.15 +/- 2.67 and 10.67 +/- 2.81, P < 0.05). Within group, the experimental group's anxiety level decreased from 12.26 +/- 2.75 to 10.67 +/- 2.81 (P < 0.05). There were two vasovagal episodes and one aborted procedure in the control group, whereas there was one vasovagal episode and no aborted procedures in the aromatherapy group. Conclusions Lavender-based aromatherapy is effective in reducing preprocedural anxiety before interventional spine procedures for pain management.