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.