Effect of Early Ambulation and Changes in In-bed Position on Back Pain, Comfort, and Vascular Complications After Coronary Angiography: A Single-Blind, Quasi-Experimental Study

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of early ambulation and changes in in-bed position on back pain, comfort, and vascular complications in patients who underwent femoral angiography.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 135 patients who underwent femoral angiography in the coronary intensive care unit of Artvin State Hospitalbetween March 6, 2023 and August 1, 2023. The sample was divided into 3 groups: control group, position change group (1), and early mobilization group (2). The data were collected using the patient information form, visual analog scale, Immobilization Comfort Scale (ICS), and Bleeding and Hematoma Assessment Form. Pain severity and vascular complications were measured at 0, 2, 4, and 6 hours after angiography. The ICS was measured at 0 and 6 hours after angiography. Data were analyzed with SPSS 23.0 (IBM SPSS Corp.; Armonk, NY, USA) using descriptive and comparative tests.

Results: It was found that there was no significant difference between the descriptive characteristics of the patients (P > .05). There was no significant difference in pain levels between the groups at hour 0 (P > .05). The pain levels at the second, fourth, and sixth hours were higher in the control group (2.8 ± 1.9, 4.1 ± 2.1, and 6.1 ± 2.5, respectively) than in both intervention groups (P < .05). The comfort levels at the sixth hour were significantly higher in the patient groups with position changes and early ambulation than in the control group (P < .05). The position changes and early ambulation did not increase the incidence of bleeding and hematoma. While leakage was not observed in both inter-vention groups after the fourth hour, it was determined that it continued to occur in the control group.

Conclusion: Adjusting bed positioning and encouraging early ambulation after coronary angiography helps reduce the incidence of back pain and vascular complications in patients while increasing comfort levels.

Cite this article as: Öztürk Akın S, Temiz Z, Özoran Y. Effect of early ambulation and changes in in-bed position on back pain, comfort, and vascular complications after coronary angiography: A single-blind, quasi-experimental study. Arch Health Sci Res. 13, 0053, doi:10.5152/ArcHealthSciRes.2026.25053.