The effect of Hugo point acupressure massage on respiratory volume and pain intensity due to deep breathing in patients with chest tube after chest surgeries

INTRODUCTION: Hugo point is the most important pain control point in the body, so the study was performed to determine the effect of Hugo point massage on respiratory volume and the pain intensity after chest tube placement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was performed as a randomized crossover clinical trial on 61 patients with a chest tube. Patients were placed in every 2 h through the ternary permutation block once under a false point pressure, once under a Hugo point pressure, and once without intervention. Data were collected using a questionnaire of demographic, clinical information, the Numerical Pain Rating Scale, and spirometry. Analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to analyze the data. FINDINGS: There was no significant difference in the pain intensity before and during the intervention between the three groups. However, after the intervention, the mean pain intensity in the control group was higher than the Hugo and placebo groups (P < 0.001), and the mean pain intensity in the placebo group was higher than in the Hugo group (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the three groups in terms of the rate of ascent and retention time of spirometry ball the three times before, during, and after the intervention. CONCLUSION: Hugo point massage reduces the pain intensity; however, has no significant effect on their respiratory volume. Hugo point massage is recommended to reduce the severity of pain in patients with chest tube.