the effect of classic chest massage therapy on pain following midsternotomy in the patients undergoing elective off-pump coronary artery bypass graft

objectives: To explore the effect of massage therapy on pain following midsternotomy in the patients after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Study design: A double-blind randomized clinical trial, Methods: (a) participants: inclusion criteria:all patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft in the Afshar cardiovascular research center of Yazd (50 patients); exclusion criteria: patients with chest pain caused by trauma; patients with a previous history of cardiac surgery; patients with chronic pain syndrome; patients with prolonged bleeding during hospital stay (more than 200 cc per hour); patients who had psychiatric disorders; patients who didn't want to continue participating in the study. sample size (50= intervention group: 25, control group:25), (b) intervention: in this study, the control group receive usual medications and cares without any additional intervention; but in intervention group: Four sessions of chest massage therapy by physiotherapist in the days 2 to 5 after surgery (before discharging patients from the hospital) and 12 sessions of massage therapy,three times a week, at the one-month follow-up (every session lasted for 15 minutes)- chest massage therapy techniques: (positioning and postural drainage, chest tapotement techniques, breathing exercises (diaphragmatic breathing, segmental breathing, local expansion, and pursed lip breathing),thorax mobilization exercises. (c) intervention time:the days 2 to 5 after surgery before discharging patients and one-month follow-up. (d) results: in this study pain is the primary outcome; quality of life, anxiety and hospital stay are the secondary outcomes.

Afshar cardiovascular research center of Yazd (affiliated with Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services) will pay all costs of the survey.