The College of Nursing at the University of Baghdad hosted the defense of researcher Murtaza Khudair Abbas’s doctoral dissertation, titled “The Effect of Rhythmic Breathing on Pain Intensity and Hemodynamic Parameters After Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Versus Valve Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Muhammad Baqir al-Jabouri.
The study primarily aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of rhythmic breathing in reducing pain intensity and improving hemodynamic parameters (heart rate, mean arterial pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation) in patients following open-heart surgery, and to identify differences in clinical and physiological responses between patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and those undergoing valve surgery.
The study’s results and conclusions showed that rhythmic breathing is an effective nonpharmacological nursing intervention that clearly contributes to alleviating chest pain and achieving physiological stability of hemodynamic parameters, with highly statistically significant differences; the intervention’s effect on pain relief was more pronounced in valve surgery patients (with an average pain score of 13.61 compared to 14.46 for coronary artery patients on the third day), while more pronounced effects on the stabilization of vital signs were observed in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients undergoing longer and more strenuous surgical procedures.
Based on the study’s findings, the study recommended that rhythmic breathing techniques be incorporated into evidence-based nursing care protocols and plans for patients following cardiac surgery, and that nursing staff in specialized cardiac units and centers be trained to apply them systematically and safely as a complementary therapy to enhance clinical and physiological recovery.
Following an extensive scientific discussion, the researcher’s efforts culminated in the thesis’s approval and the successful fulfillment of the requirements for a doctoral degree.
The findings of this study align with the Sustainable Development Goals that the College of Nursing at the University of Baghdad seeks to promote, particularly Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being), through the development of non-pharmacological nursing and palliative care strategies for cardiac patients and the reduction of surgical complications and pain in specialized healthcare institutions.
