{"title":"Effectiveness of breathing relaxation exercises on pain due to chest tube removal: a systematic review-meta-analysis.","authors":"Ayşe Yacan Kök, Ezgi Eyiler","doi":"10.1186/s13019-025-03444-4","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Chest tube placement is essential for draining air or fluid from the pleural cavity, often performed after cardiothoracic surgeries to prevent complications. However, chest tube removal (CTR) can be painful and stressful for patients. Proper pain management is crucial to enhancing patient comfort.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to asssess the effectiveness of breathing and relaxation exercises for pain associated with CTR.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Database searches were carried out in Pub med, Web of Science, MEDLINE, Academic Search Ultimate, CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Library, Science Direct to December 2024. The Risk of Bias 2 tool was used to assess the risk of bias. Heterogeneity and publication bias were also assessed.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>A total of 8 randomized controlled trials were included. Findings indicated that breathing relaxation exercises had a negative effect on chest tube removal. The mean effect size for the effect of breathing relaxation exercises on CTR was - 1.46 Three of the studies included in the meta-analysis assessed outcomes before CTR procedure. The mean effect size is 0.070 with a 95% confidence interval of -0.208 to 0.348. Also, four of the studies included in the meta-analysis assessed outcomes immediately after the procedure. The mean effect size is -1.403 with a 95% confidence interval of -2.337 to -0.469. The mean effect size in the universe of comparable studies could fall anywhere in this interval. Q-value is 30.826 with 3 degrees of freedom and p < 0.001.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results of this meta-analysis indicated that breathing and relaxation exercises can be effective in reducing pain associated with the CTR procedure.</p>","PeriodicalId":15201,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery","volume":"20 1","pages":"281"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13019-025-03444-4","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CARDIAC & CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Chest tube placement is essential for draining air or fluid from the pleural cavity, often performed after cardiothoracic surgeries to prevent complications. However, chest tube removal (CTR) can be painful and stressful for patients. Proper pain management is crucial to enhancing patient comfort.
Aim: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to asssess the effectiveness of breathing and relaxation exercises for pain associated with CTR.
Methods: Database searches were carried out in Pub med, Web of Science, MEDLINE, Academic Search Ultimate, CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Library, Science Direct to December 2024. The Risk of Bias 2 tool was used to assess the risk of bias. Heterogeneity and publication bias were also assessed.
Findings: A total of 8 randomized controlled trials were included. Findings indicated that breathing relaxation exercises had a negative effect on chest tube removal. The mean effect size for the effect of breathing relaxation exercises on CTR was - 1.46 Three of the studies included in the meta-analysis assessed outcomes before CTR procedure. The mean effect size is 0.070 with a 95% confidence interval of -0.208 to 0.348. Also, four of the studies included in the meta-analysis assessed outcomes immediately after the procedure. The mean effect size is -1.403 with a 95% confidence interval of -2.337 to -0.469. The mean effect size in the universe of comparable studies could fall anywhere in this interval. Q-value is 30.826 with 3 degrees of freedom and p < 0.001.
Conclusions: The results of this meta-analysis indicated that breathing and relaxation exercises can be effective in reducing pain associated with the CTR procedure.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery is an open access journal that encompasses all aspects of research in the field of Cardiology, and Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery. The journal publishes original scientific research documenting clinical and experimental advances in cardiac, vascular and thoracic surgery, and related fields.
Topics of interest include surgical techniques, survival rates, surgical complications and their outcomes; along with basic sciences, pediatric conditions, transplantations and clinical trials.
Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery is of interest to cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons, cardiothoracic anaesthesiologists, cardiologists, chest physicians, and allied health professionals.