The Effect of Breathing Exercises on Pain, Anxiety, Dyspnea, and Insomnia in Patients Undergoing Lung Surgery.

NCT06460259 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2023/026
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 74
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Surgical treatment is performed with the aim of reducing, halting the progression of, or treating certain pathological conditions in the human body by removing some tissue or organs from the body. Wedge resection is considered an effective method for the treatment of lung cancer. The wedge resection method is utilized in both malignant and non-malignant pulmonary pathologies (such as bronchiectasis, aspergilloma, non-tuberculous mycobacteria, tuberculosis, fungal infections, inflammatory pseudotumors, hydatid cyst, and benign masses). Following surgical procedures such as Video-Assisted Thorascopic Surgery (VATS) and wedge resection, side effects and complications such as atelectasis, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, prolonged air leakage, chylothorax, sepsis, pneumothorax, pulmonary embolism, empyema, bronchopleural fistula, pain, anxiety, dyspnea, fatigue, and insomnia can occur. Non-pharmacological methods are observed to increase comfort and control in patients, thereby enhancing their quality of life. Non-pharmacological interventions such as music therapy, hot or cold therapy, hypnosis, aromatherapy, massage, progressive relaxation exercises, deep breathing exercises, pursed lip breathing, yoga, and meditation can be employed in the management of postoperative symptoms such as pain, anxiety, dyspnea, insomnia, and fatigue. Studies involving breathing exercises have shown that they reduce anxiety and pain scores after exercise. Alternate nostril breathing, a yoga practice, is considered one of the best breathing exercises for health and fitness. It has positive effects on dyspnea, anxiety, stress, and sleep disorders.

Conditions

Lung Surgery

Keywords

Breathing exercises; Insomnia; Pain; Anxiety

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Visual Analog Scale (VAS) - Pain Scale

  A 10 cm ruler has been designed with painlessness on one side and the most severe pain possible on the other side. This ruler is known as the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for visual comparison. In the evaluation of the scale, "0" indicates no pain, "1-3" indicates mild pain, "4-6" indicates moderate pain, and "7-10" indicates severe pain levels.

  First measurement on the day before surgery, second measurement on the first day after surgery, third measurement on the second day after surgery.

• Visual Analog Scale (VAS) - Dyspnea Scale

  The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) is applied by marking with a pencil on a horizontal or vertical line of one hundred millimeters. The 0 mm point of the line indicates no dyspnea, while the 100 mm point indicates the most severe dyspnea possible. The patient marks the severity of their current respiratory distress on the scale by using these two degrees as criteria.

  First measurement on the day before surgery, second measurement on the first day after surgery, third measurement on the second day after surgery.

• State-Trait Anxiety Inventory

  he development of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was conducted by Spielberger and his colleagues (1970), and it consists of two subscales: state anxiety and trait anxiety, each comprising 20 items. The scores obtained from both scales theoretically range between 20 and 80. A large score indicates a high level of anxiety, a small score indicates a low level of anxiety.

  First measurement on the day before surgery, second measurement on the first day after surgery, third measurement on the second day after surgery.

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Richard Campbell Sleep Scale

  First measurement on the day before surgery, second measurement on the first day after surgery, third measurement on the second day after surgery.

Study Arms (2)

Experimental Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients undergoing VATS or wedge resection procedures will be informed and their consent will be obtained prior to the procedure. Individuals who consent and meet the inclusion criteria will fill out a personal information form and then be randomly assigned to groups using simple randomization method. Breathing exercises will be taught individually to participants in the experimental group by the researcher. In the experimental group, breathing exercises will be performed approximately 10 minutes, four times a day, starting from the first day after oral intake.

Behavioral: Breathing Exercise

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

No intervention other than routine nursing care will be performed.

Interventions

Breathing Exercise BEHAVIORAL

He individual will be seated in a quiet environment in a semi-fowler or fowler position with their feet pointing forward. Then, they will be asked to join their hands on their abdomen and breathe normally while focusing on their breath. They will ensure their shoulders are relaxed, their body is loose, and they will inhale and exhale slowly and deeply through the nose without rushing.Next, while sitting upright with relaxed muscles, they will close their eyes, block their right nostril with their thumb or ring finger, inhale as much air as possible through the left nostril, and hold their breath. Then, they will block the left nostril with their ring finger or thumb and exhale slowly through the right nostril. The same process will be repeated for the left nostril. They will continue this process for approximately 2 minutes.

Experimental Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Having undergone VATS or wedge resection surgery,
• Having orientation to place and time,
• Being communicative,
• Having no visual or hearing impairment.

You may not qualify if:

• Having a mental health issue that would hinder communication,
• Having any nasal pathology.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• KTO Karatay University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Konya City Hospital

Konya, Konya, 42020, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Pain; Anxiety Disorders

Interventions

Breathing Exercises

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic; Dyssomnias; Sleep Wake Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mind-Body Therapies; Complementary Therapies; Therapeutics; Exercise Movement Techniques; Physical Therapy Modalities

Study Officials

• Fatma Gündoğdu, PhD

  KTO Karatay University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Hasibe Okutan, PhD

  Konya City Hospital

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor, PhD

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 5, 2024
• First Posted: June 14, 2024
• Study Start: August 1, 2023
• Primary Completion: February 28, 2025
• Study Completion: February 28, 2025
• Last Updated: September 4, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)