How Important Is Acupressure Application in Balancing Heart Rate and Blood Pressure in the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation? Single-Blind Randomized Experimental Study

1. INTRODUCTION Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a commonly encountered cardiac arrhythmia, which affects 1-2% of the population and this rate is expected to increase within the next 30 years. The Framingham study, which was started in 1949 and is still ongoing, supports this predicted increase by stating that prevalence will increase together with age. In developing countries, the mean age of patients with AF is increasing, and is currently reported as in the range of 75-85 years . AF is seen in males two-fold more than in females . Causing stroke or long-term symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, listlessness, fatigue, insomnia and activity intolerance, AF reduces quality of life .

There are 3 basic goals in AF treatment. These are control of heart rate, prevention of the risk of emboli and the treatment of arrhythmia. AF treatment should be reliable and low cost, and previous studies have shown supportive treatments which are low-cost, easy to apply, and have no side-effects. In particular, there are studies showing that acupuncture is effective in providing heart rate and arrhythmia control in AF. Acupressure, which is defined as non-invasive acupuncture is a treatment method that is applied using an acustimulation device or by applying physical pressure on certain points of the body with the fingers, hand, palm of the hand, wrist, or with a wristband, to regulate the disrupted energy balance through the energy channels of the body. Although it shows all the effects of acupuncture, it is less known than acupuncture, if it is not applied in accordance with the guideline guidelines, it may cause undesirable situations.

It has been emphasised in literature that by stimulating acetylcholine, dopamine and encephalon expression, acupressure is effective in muscle relaxation and regulating blood circulation. It has been reported that the application of acupressure to patients has reduced back pain and headache, pain related to osteoarthritis, musculoskeletal system pain, neck pain, and pre and postoperative pain, and because of the reflexive effect of acupressure, has reduced nausea and vomiting by increasing the efficacy of the hypothalamus, which is an extrapyramidal pathway, has balanced the heart rate and reduced sleep disorders.

As acupressure is not invasive, the acupressure training received within the scope of nursing care can be comfortably applied . However, there have been few studies of nurses on this subject, and there is a need for studies with a high level of evidence.

Aim The aim of this study was to determine the effect on blood pressure and heart rate of acupressure applied to the Shenman (HT7) point in individuals with chronic AF.