Aromatherapy with Lavender Essential Oil in Patients with Surgery-Related Anxiety: a Systematic Review

Today, complementary and alternative treatment strategies, including massage therapy, and aromatherapy, are extensively applied to reduce and manage anxiety in the patients with various diseases. Aromatherapy as one of the main therapeutic strategies has gained significant attention in most countries compared to other complementary treatments for surgery-related anxiety treatment. Here, we decided to conduct a systematic review and report the results about the effects of aromatherapy with lavender (Lavandula angustifolia L.) in patients undergoing various types of surgery. Five English databases including Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were used to find published clinical papers related to the effects of aromatherapy with lavender in patients undergoing various types of surgery without time limitation. All searches were based on the 06- PRISMA guideline and registered in the CAMARADES-NC3Rs Preclinical Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Facility (SyRF) database. Out of 3974 papers, 20 papers from the year 2000 up to April 2021, met the inclusion criteria for discussion in this systematic review with the data extracted. The most studies were carried out on the effect of aromatherapy with lavender on the anxiety of patients with coronary artery bypass surgery (8 papers, 40%). Based on the results of the articles reviewed, it can be suggested that aromatherapy management particularly with lavender, has the potential to be used as a complementary therapy to reduce anxiety and stress in patients undergoing various types of surgery. However, more studies are required to confirm the accurate mechanisms and side effects of the complementary treatment.