Archives of Critical Care Medicine

Background: Different and unrelieved side effects of hospitalization in intensive care unit can easily affect the patients and cause irritabilities and fluctuations in different vital signs. Objectives: To determine the effect of different massage therapists on the 6 vital signs of conscious hospitalized patients in ICU.

Patients and Methods: The study was a randomized controlled clinical trial, which was conducted in 33 patients and 33 family members in experimental group 1 and 33 patients and 33 nurses in experimental group 2 and 2, and 33 patients in the control group. Data collection tool consisted of demographic data and a checklist to record the patient’s vital signs (systolic blood pressure, di[1]astolic blood pressure, respiratory rate, temperature, pulse rate, pressure of oxygen saturated, and pain). All measurements were conducted at the same time in three groups as follow: before the intervention (30 minutes full-body massage therapy), and 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours after intervention. The massage techniques included static, surface tension, stretching, superficial lymph unloads, transverse friction, and myofacial releasing techniques.

Results: Multivariate analyses revealed significant differences between experimental groups 1 and 2 and the control group with regard to the systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse rate (PR), respiratory rate (RR), temperature (T), saturated of peripheral oxygen (SPO2), and pain in all time points after intervention (P < 0.05). The differences were more significant in experimental group one than group two.

Conclusions: Having different massage therapists have several unparalleled positive effects on the patients’ clinical conditions; and therefore, it should be recognized as one of the most important clinical considerations for all hospitalized patients.