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Use of Aromatherapy to Reduce Symptom Burden

Use of Aromatherapy to Reduce Symptom Burden in Patients Receiving Stem Cell Transplantation

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05251337
Enrollment
92
Registered
2022-02-22
Start date
2022-03-07
Completion date
2023-06-22
Last updated
2024-05-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Anxiety, Chemotherapy-induced Nausea and Vomiting

Keywords

stem cell transplant, anxiety, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, aromatherapy

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of inhaled aromatherapy on symptoms of nausea/vomiting and anxiety in patients who have received a stem cell transplant. Aromatherapy involves essential oils from aromatic plants that can be absorbed into the body in different ways. Our study will be using inhaled aromatherapy, which has been found helpful for symptoms such as nausea/vomiting and anxiety.

Detailed description

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of aromatherapy on symptoms of chemotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting, and retching (CINVR) and anxiety for patients hospitalized for hematopoietic stem cell transplant. The primary aim will be to evaluate the effect of inhaled aromatherapy on CINVR and anxiety symptoms compared to control for 48 hours. Secondary aims include (1) Evaluating patient satisfaction with aromatherapy at completion of study; (2) Evaluating the antiemetic administration between intervention and control groups during the 48-hour intervention time span; (3) Evaluating the number and incidence of unit falls pre and post intervention. This study will be a randomized controlled trial. Prior to randomization, participants will be asked which symptom, nausea/vomiting or anxiety, is most burdensome for them. Participants will be stratified based on their identified symptom of burden (nausea/vomiting or anxiety) and will then be randomized to either the intervention or control group, with a target of 50 participants in the nausea/vomiting symptom group (25 intervention and 25 control) and 50 participants in the anxiety symptom group (25 intervention and 25 control). Intervention and control groups will receive Wyndmere Naturals, Inc. aromatherapy patches and a symptom diary. Participants in the intervention group indicating that nausea/vomiting is the primary symptom of concern will receive peppermint inhaled aromatherapy patches (or mandarin if peppermint intolerance indicted). Participants in the intervention group indicating that anxiety is the primary symptoms of concern with receive lavender inhaled aromatherapy patches. The control group will receive non-scented aromatherapy patches (i.e., blank hydrogel adhesive patches without essential oil infusion), so it will not be feasible to blind participants to group assignment. The control group will have the same interactions with the study team as the intervention group and will complete patch changes and a symptom diary to serve as an attention control.

Interventions

Participants will receive Wyndmere Naturals, Inc. aromatherapy patches. The hydrogel adhesive patches are infused with essential oil for inhaled aromatherapy treatment. The aromatherapy patches provide an occlusive barrier that is hypoallergenic, allowing essential oils to be inhaled without coming in direct contact with the skin. Participants indicating nausea/vomiting is their symptom of concern will receive peppermint aromatherapy patches (or mandarin if peppermint sensitivity). Participants indicating anxiety is their symptom of concern will receive lavender aromatherapy patches.

DRUGPlacebo

Patients assigned to either control group (nausea/vomiting or anxiety) will receive Wyndmere Naturals non-scented patches (i.e., blank hydrogel adhesive patches without essential oil infusion).

Sponsors

Indiana University Health
CollaboratorOTHER
Indiana University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)

Masking description

Participants will not be informed of assignment to intervention or control; however, the blank aromatherapy patch (control group) will not have a scent and the essential oil infused aromatherapy patch (intervention group) will. Thus, it may be obvious to participants what group they are randomized to.

Intervention model description

Prior to randomization, participants will be asked which symptom, nausea/vomiting or anxiety, is most burdensome for them. Participants will be stratified based on their identified symptom of burden (nausea/vomiting or anxiety) and will then be randomized to either the intervention or control group, with a target of 50 participants in the nausea/vomiting symptom group (25 intervention and 25 control) and 50 participants in the anxiety symptom group (25 intervention and 25 control).

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 100 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Patients from a bone marrow transplant unit or hematology/oncology unit within an adult academic health center in the Midwest. * Adult stem cell transplant inpatients that have received autologous or allogeneic transplant and are actively going through therapy. * Patients must also be alert and oriented, able to interact with the study team, and able to read and write English.

Exclusion criteria

* Under 18 years of age * Intubation * Medical sedation * Receipt of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells * History of atrial fibrillation * History of seizures/epilepsy * Adhesive allergy or sensitivity * Currently pregnant * Prisoner

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Chemotherapy-induced Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (CINVR) Symptoms at Baseline, 25 Hours, and 48 Hoursbaseline (0 hours) and post-intervention (24, 48 hours)CINVR involves three gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, retching) influenced by administration of chemotherapy. Nausea is expressed as an unpleasant feeling in the throat/epigastrium that can result in expulsion of stomach content, known as vomiting. Retching is the effort to expel stomach contents without success. The Rhodes Index of Nausea, Vomiting and Retching (INVR) was used to measure CINVR and includes 8 Likert-type items on a 5-point scale. Items are scored from 0 (least amount of distress) to 4 (the most distress) and added after reverse coding items 1,3,6, and 7 to calculate an overall INVR score. The overall score ranges from 0 to 32, with higher scores indicating higher symptom burden. Subscales for symptom experience, occurrence, and distress for each symptom (nausea, vomiting, retching) are calculated by adding corresponding scale items for each subscale. The ranges for each subscale were as follows: nausea experience (0-12), vomiting experience (0-12),
Anxiety Symptoms at Baseline 24 Hours, and 48 Hoursbaseline (0 hours) and post-intervention (24, 48 hours)Anxiety is defined as excessive or persistent worry about aspects of life. Anxiety was measured using a shortened version of Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory (SAI). The original SAI contains 20 items to measure state anxiety and items are scored using a 4-point Likert-type scale (almost never-almost always). The shortened SAI retains 6 items (from the original 20) and has evidence supporting good internal reliability consistency and strong construct validity. Items are scored from 1 (not at all) to 4 (very much so) and added after reverse coding anxiety absent items, with higher total scores indicating higher state anxiety. The shortened SAI total score ranges from a total score of 6-24.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Patient Satisfaction at 48 Hourspost-intervention (48 hours)An investigator-developed questionnaire was administered at the 48-hour study completion to evaluate patient satisfaction. Participants rated their satisfaction with the intervention on a 1-10 rating scale, with 10 being extremely satisfied (e.g., higher score means higher satisfaction).
Medications Administered for Nausea/Vomiting Indication for 48 Hour Study Timeframe48 hour intervention timeframeMedications administered for nausea/vomiting indication (scopolamine, lorazepam, promethazine, prochlorperazine, olanzapine, dexamethasone, Marinol, ondansetron). Medications administered for nausea/vomiting symptom indication were extracted from the electronic medical record for participants in the nausea/vomiting symptom group.
Inpatient Fall Events at Baseline and During Interventionbaseline (December 2020-February 2022) and during intervention (March 2022-June 2023)Fall numbers using total number of falls reported to the National Database of Nurse Quality Indicators. Data were extracted from the bone marrow transplant and hematology/oncology units for baseline (December 2020-March 2022) and intervention (March 2022-June 2023) timeframes.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Intervention - Nausea/Vomiting
Patients indicating that nausea/vomiting is their primary symptom of concern and are randomized to receive intervention will be allocated to the intervention - nausea/vomiting arm. This arm will receive peppermint inhaled aromatherapy patches (or mandarin as an alternative if they have a peppermint sensitivity). Essential oils: Participants will receive Wyndmere Naturals, Inc. aromatherapy patches. The hydrogel adhesive patches are infused with essential oil for inhaled aromatherapy treatment. The aromatherapy patches provide an occlusive barrier that is hypoallergenic, allowing essential oils to be inhaled without coming in direct contact with the skin. Participants indicating nausea/vomiting is their symptom of concern will receive peppermint aromatherapy patches (or mandarin if peppermint sensitivity). Participants indicating anxiety is their symptom of concern will receive lavender aromatherapy patches
24
Intervention - Anxiety
Patients indicating that anxiety is their primary symptom of concern and are randomized to receive intervention will be allocated to the intervention - anxiety arm. This arm will receive lavender inhaled aromatherapy patches. Essential oils: Participants will receive Wyndmere Naturals, Inc. aromatherapy patches. The hydrogel adhesive patches are infused with essential oil for inhaled aromatherapy treatment. The aromatherapy patches provide an occlusive barrier that is hypoallergenic, allowing essential oils to be inhaled without coming in direct contact with the skin. Participants indicating nausea/vomiting is their symptom of concern will receive peppermint aromatherapy patches (or mandarin if peppermint sensitivity). Participants indicating anxiety is their symptom of concern will receive lavender aromatherapy patches.
21
Control - Nausea/Vomiting
Patients indicating that nausea/vomiting is their primary symptom of concern and are randomized to receive control will be allocated to the control - nausea/vomiting arm. This arm will receive blank (no essential oil infusion) aromatherapy patches. Placebo: Patients assigned to either control group (nausea/vomiting or anxiety) will receive Wyndmere Naturals non-scented patches (i.e., blank hydrogel adhesive patches without essential oil infusion).
26
Control - Anxiety
Patients indicating that anxiety is their primary symptom of concern and are randomized to receive control will be allocated to the control - anxiety arm. This arm will receive blank (no essential oil infusion) aromatherapy patches. Placebo: Patients assigned to either control group (nausea/vomiting or anxiety) will receive Wyndmere Naturals non-scented patches (i.e., blank hydrogel adhesive patches without essential oil infusion).
21
Total92

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicIntervention - Nausea/VomitingTotalControl - AnxietyControl - Nausea/VomitingIntervention - Anxiety
Age, Continuous55 Years52 Years51 Years52 Years51 Years
Cancer Type
Dendritic Cell
0 Participants1 Participants0 Participants1 Participants0 Participants
Cancer Type
Germ Cell Tumor
3 Participants10 Participants1 Participants4 Participants2 Participants
Cancer Type
Hodgkin's Disease
0 Participants6 Participants3 Participants0 Participants3 Participants
Cancer Type
Leukemia
1 Participants12 Participants4 Participants4 Participants3 Participants
Cancer Type
Multiple Myeloma
20 Participants60 Participants11 Participants16 Participants13 Participants
Cancer Type
Myelodysplastic Syndromes
0 Participants2 Participants2 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Cancer Type
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
0 Participants1 Participants0 Participants1 Participants0 Participants
Chemotherapy Regimen
BEAM
0 Participants6 Participants2 Participants1 Participants3 Participants
Chemotherapy Regimen
Etoposide/Carboplatin
3 Participants10 Participants1 Participants4 Participants2 Participants
Chemotherapy Regimen
Fludarabine/Cytoxan
0 Participants4 Participants3 Participants1 Participants0 Participants
Chemotherapy Regimen
Fludarabine/Cytoxan/Total Body Irradiation
0 Participants1 Participants0 Participants1 Participants0 Participants
Chemotherapy Regimen
Melphalan
20 Participants60 Participants11 Participants16 Participants13 Participants
Chemotherapy Regimen
Thiotepa/Cytoxan
1 Participants10 Participants4 Participants2 Participants3 Participants
Chemotherapy Regimen
Triptycene/Cytoxan/Fludarabine
0 Participants1 Participants0 Participants1 Participants0 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Asian or Pacific Islander
0 Participants1 Participants0 Participants1 Participants0 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Black or African American
4 Participants12 Participants2 Participants3 Participants3 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Latino
0 Participants1 Participants0 Participants0 Participants1 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Native American or American Indian
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Other
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Prefer Not to Say
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
White/Non-Hispanic
20 Participants78 Participants19 Participants22 Participants17 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
17 Participants55 Participants12 Participants10 Participants16 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
7 Participants37 Participants9 Participants16 Participants5 Participants
Transplant Type
Allogenic
1 Participants16 Participants7 Participants5 Participants3 Participants
Transplant Type
Autologous
23 Participants76 Participants14 Participants21 Participants18 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 240 / 21
other
Total, other adverse events
9 / 2412 / 21
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 241 / 21

Outcome results

Primary

Anxiety Symptoms at Baseline 24 Hours, and 48 Hours

Anxiety is defined as excessive or persistent worry about aspects of life. Anxiety was measured using a shortened version of Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory (SAI). The original SAI contains 20 items to measure state anxiety and items are scored using a 4-point Likert-type scale (almost never-almost always). The shortened SAI retains 6 items (from the original 20) and has evidence supporting good internal reliability consistency and strong construct validity. Items are scored from 1 (not at all) to 4 (very much so) and added after reverse coding anxiety absent items, with higher total scores indicating higher state anxiety. The shortened SAI total score ranges from a total score of 6-24.

Time frame: baseline (0 hours) and post-intervention (24, 48 hours)

Population: Outcome measure was pre-specified to analyze data only from the Intervention-Anxiety and Control-Anxiety Arms/Groups

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingAnxiety Symptoms at Baseline 24 Hours, and 48 HoursBaseline14.4 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3.7
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingAnxiety Symptoms at Baseline 24 Hours, and 48 Hours24 hours10.9 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3.3
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingAnxiety Symptoms at Baseline 24 Hours, and 48 Hours48 hours10.5 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3.4
Control - Nausea/VomitingAnxiety Symptoms at Baseline 24 Hours, and 48 HoursBaseline15.4 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 4.1
Control - Nausea/VomitingAnxiety Symptoms at Baseline 24 Hours, and 48 Hours24 hours13.3 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3.5
Control - Nausea/VomitingAnxiety Symptoms at Baseline 24 Hours, and 48 Hours48 hours12.9 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 4.1
p-value: 0.285Mixed Models Analysis
Primary

Chemotherapy-induced Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (CINVR) Symptoms at Baseline, 25 Hours, and 48 Hours

CINVR involves three gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, retching) influenced by administration of chemotherapy. Nausea is expressed as an unpleasant feeling in the throat/epigastrium that can result in expulsion of stomach content, known as vomiting. Retching is the effort to expel stomach contents without success. The Rhodes Index of Nausea, Vomiting and Retching (INVR) was used to measure CINVR and includes 8 Likert-type items on a 5-point scale. Items are scored from 0 (least amount of distress) to 4 (the most distress) and added after reverse coding items 1,3,6, and 7 to calculate an overall INVR score. The overall score ranges from 0 to 32, with higher scores indicating higher symptom burden. Subscales for symptom experience, occurrence, and distress for each symptom (nausea, vomiting, retching) are calculated by adding corresponding scale items for each subscale. The ranges for each subscale were as follows: nausea experience (0-12), vomiting experience (0-12),

Time frame: baseline (0 hours) and post-intervention (24, 48 hours)

Population: Outcome measure was pre-specified to analyze data only from the Intervention-Nausea/Vomiting and Control-Nausea/Vomiting Arms

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingChemotherapy-induced Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (CINVR) Symptoms at Baseline, 25 Hours, and 48 HoursBaseline9.6 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 4.6
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingChemotherapy-induced Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (CINVR) Symptoms at Baseline, 25 Hours, and 48 Hours24 hours5.2 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3.1
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingChemotherapy-induced Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (CINVR) Symptoms at Baseline, 25 Hours, and 48 Hours48 hours3.9 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3.5
Control - Nausea/VomitingChemotherapy-induced Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (CINVR) Symptoms at Baseline, 25 Hours, and 48 HoursBaseline8.5 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 4.4
Control - Nausea/VomitingChemotherapy-induced Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (CINVR) Symptoms at Baseline, 25 Hours, and 48 Hours24 hours4.9 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3.5
Control - Nausea/VomitingChemotherapy-induced Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (CINVR) Symptoms at Baseline, 25 Hours, and 48 Hours48 hours4.4 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 4.4
p-value: 0.462Mixed Models Analysis
Secondary

Inpatient Fall Events at Baseline and During Intervention

Fall numbers using total number of falls reported to the National Database of Nurse Quality Indicators. Data were extracted from the bone marrow transplant and hematology/oncology units for baseline (December 2020-March 2022) and intervention (March 2022-June 2023) timeframes.

Time frame: baseline (December 2020-February 2022) and during intervention (March 2022-June 2023)

Population: Data were pre-specified to be analyzed across participating hospital units, rather than study arms.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (NUMBER)
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingInpatient Fall Events at Baseline and During InterventionBaseline32 Fall Events
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingInpatient Fall Events at Baseline and During InterventionPost31 Fall Events
Secondary

Medications Administered for Nausea/Vomiting Indication for 48 Hour Study Timeframe

Medications administered for nausea/vomiting indication (scopolamine, lorazepam, promethazine, prochlorperazine, olanzapine, dexamethasone, Marinol, ondansetron). Medications administered for nausea/vomiting symptom indication were extracted from the electronic medical record for participants in the nausea/vomiting symptom group.

Time frame: 48 hour intervention timeframe

Population: Outcome measure was pre-specified to collect data only from the Intervention-Nausea/Vomiting and Control-Nausea/Vomiting Arms/Groups

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingMedications Administered for Nausea/Vomiting Indication for 48 Hour Study Timeframe10.0 Medications AdministeredStandard Deviation 5
Control - Nausea/VomitingMedications Administered for Nausea/Vomiting Indication for 48 Hour Study Timeframe7.1 Medications AdministeredStandard Deviation 5.3
p-value: 0.091t-test, 2 sided
Secondary

Patient Satisfaction at 48 Hours

An investigator-developed questionnaire was administered at the 48-hour study completion to evaluate patient satisfaction. Participants rated their satisfaction with the intervention on a 1-10 rating scale, with 10 being extremely satisfied (e.g., higher score means higher satisfaction).

Time frame: post-intervention (48 hours)

ArmMeasureGroupValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 10 Participants
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 20 Participants
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 30 Participants
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 40 Participants
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 50 Participants
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 61 Participants
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 72 Participants
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 85 Participants
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 98 Participants
Intervention - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating =105 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 30 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 92 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 40 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 52 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 61 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 70 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating =107 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 83 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 10 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 20 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 85 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 73 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating =102 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 10 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 41 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 63 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 91 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 21 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 52 Participants
Control - Nausea/VomitingPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 32 Participants
Control - AnxietyPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 51 Participants
Control - AnxietyPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 82 Participants
Control - AnxietyPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 65 Participants
Control - AnxietyPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating =106 Participants
Control - AnxietyPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 70 Participants
Control - AnxietyPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 20 Participants
Control - AnxietyPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 30 Participants
Control - AnxietyPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 40 Participants
Control - AnxietyPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 10 Participants
Control - AnxietyPatient Satisfaction at 48 HoursRating = 94 Participants

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026