EFFECT OF THYMUS VULGARIS INHALING ON ARTERIAL OXYGEN SATURATION AND HEART RATE IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE EXACERBATION OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE

Background and aim: Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD), due to its debilitating nature, entails irreparable consequences on individual socioeconomic life. Treatment with conventional medicines not only imposes costs on the patient but also is associated with many side effects. Considering the importance of complementary medicine in nursing and the existence of evidence based on the antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory effects reported for thyme and low cost and complications of the plant extract, this study was conducted to determine the effect of T. vulgaris inhaling on arterial oxygen saturation and heart rat e in patients with AECOPD. Materials and methods: The present randomized clinical trial was performed on 60 patients with AECOPD referred to Emergency Department of 22 Bahman Hospital in Gonabad, Iran, in 2016. The patients were selected according to inclusion crite ria using convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to two groups of 30 (control and intervention). The interven tion group received 1% T. vulgaris inhaling as much as 5 ml for 15 minutes through inhaling treatment mask, and the control group used d istilled water inhaling for the same amount and duration with inhaling treatment mask. The arterial oxygen saturation and heart rate of the patients were collected and recorded via a portable finger pulse oximeter before and after the intervention by a researcher who was blind to the intervention. The data were analyzed by SPSS 22 using independent t-test and paired t-test with a significant level of less than 5%. Results: According to the obtained findings, the two groups had no difference in demographic and clinical variables (P>0.05). After the intervention, the mean arterial oxygen saturation (P = 0.01) and heart rate (P = 0.001) showed statistically significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that T. vulgaris inhaling is effective on the levels of arterial oxygen saturation and heart rate in patients with AECOPD. Emergency care nurses can consider these results in the care of patients. However, the use of this approach requires further research. Keywords: Thymus vulgaris inhaling, Arterial Oxygen Saturation, Heart rate, Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Corresp