The effect of position change on vital signs, back pain and vascular complications following percutaneous coronary intervention

Aims and objectives To determine the effect of position change that is applied after percutaneous coronary intervention on vital signs, back pain and vascular complications. Background In order to minimise the postprocedural complications, patients are restricted to prolonged bed rest that is always accompanied by back pain and haemodynamic instability. Design Randomised‐controlled quasi‐experimental study. Methods The study sample chosen for this study included 200 patients who visited a hospital in Turkey between July 2014–November 2014. Patients were divided into two groups by randomisation. Patients in the control group (CG, n = 100) were put in a supine position, in which the head of the bed (HOB) was elevated to 15°, the patient's leg on the side of the intervention was kept straight and immobile; positional change was applied to patients in the experimental group (EG, n = 100). Results After the procedure in the EG, the systolic blood pressure (T4–T6), the rate of postprocedural vascular complications (1%) and the back pain scores were significantly lower (between T5–T6) than the CG, also, the back pain was the lowest level in the standard fowler's position in the 6th hr wherein the HOB was elevated by 45–60°. Conclusions It was found that systolic blood pressure and back pain were at the lowest levels in the standard fowler's position in the 6th hr after the procedure when the HOB was elevated 45–60° and the result was clinically significant and the position change decreased back pain without causing any vascular complications. Relevance to clinical practice Low fowler's position was applied in which HOB was elevated 15–30° and standard fowler's position was applied in which the HOB was elevated 45–60° could be safe and applicable in patients by nurses after the procedure.