The Effect of Acupressure on Pain and Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

INTRODUCTION: Pain and anxiety are commonly reported complications following coronary angiography (CA). Acupressure was reported to decrease anxiety and pain in patients undergoing CA. METHODS: By methodically searching PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS and Cochrane through 3 August 2023, a systematic review and meta-analysis synthesizing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved. We used the fixed-effect or random-effects model, according to heterogeneity, to pool continuous data using mean difference (MD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: We included five RCTs, with a total of 573 participants. Acupressure was significantly effective in reducing pain intensity (MD: 2.16, 95% CI [-2.82 to -1.52], p < 0.0001) and anxiety (MD: 8.50, 95% CI [-13.66 to -3.35], p = 0.001). However, acupressure had no significant effect on in systolic blood pressure (MD: 4.68, 95% CI [-18.99 to 9.63], p = 0.52), diastolic blood pressure (MD: 0.43, 95% CI [-8.40 to 7.55], p = 0.92), heart rate (MD: 1.28, 95% CI [-2.57 to 5.13], p = 0.52) and respiratory rate (MD: 1.26, 95% CI [-3.57 to 1.04], p = 0.28). CONCLUSION: Acupressure decreased pain and anxiety in patients undergoing CA, with no effect on vitals. However, the available evidence is limited to a few RCTs; larger trials are warranted before receiving clinical approval.