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Relaxing environment reduces anxiety before office intradetrusor chemodenervation in women with OABRelaxing environment with lavender and music reduces anxiety before bladder procedure

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Key Takeaway
Consider a relaxing environment to potentially reduce pre-procedure anxiety for office intradetrusor chemodenervation.

A single-center randomized trial evaluated whether a relaxing environment could reduce anxiety before office intradetrusor chemodenervation with onabotulinumtoxinA for overactive bladder. The study enrolled 80 women, comparing a relaxing environment (lavender aromatherapy, calming music, and dim lighting) to a typical office environment. The primary outcome was patient anxiety measured by a Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

Patients in the relaxing environment group reported a clinically significant reduction in anxiety, with a mean change of -13.8 ± 18.1 on the VAS compared to -4.7 ± 14.7 in the control group (P = 0.015). For the secondary outcome of pain, the relaxing environment group had a mean VAS score of 21.9 versus 28.9 in the control group, but this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.261). Patient satisfaction scores were high in both groups (91.4 vs. 89.3) and not significantly different. The intervention did not affect staff energy levels.

Safety and tolerability data were not reported. Key limitations include the single-center design and lack of significant effects on pain or satisfaction. The findings suggest this easily implemented, noninvasive technique may help reduce pre-procedure anxiety for women undergoing this specific office-based procedure, but its generalizability to other settings or populations is unclear.

Researchers wanted to see if a relaxing environment could help reduce anxiety for women about to undergo a specific bladder procedure called intradetrusor chemodenervation. They studied 80 women at a single medical center. One group experienced a calming setup with lavender scent, soft music, and dimmed lights, while the other group was in a typical office environment.

The main finding was that women in the relaxing environment reported a meaningful reduction in their anxiety levels before the procedure. The study also looked at pain and satisfaction. While pain scores were slightly lower in the relaxing environment group, this difference was not strong enough to be considered statistically significant. Satisfaction was very high in both groups.

It's important to note this was a relatively small study at one location, so we don't know if the results would be the same elsewhere. The relaxing environment did not appear to affect the energy levels of the medical staff. No safety issues were reported. This research suggests a simple, non-invasive way to help patients feel calmer before a procedure, but more studies would help understand how well this works in different settings.

What this means for you:
A calming office setup may help reduce anxiety before a bladder procedure, based on a single study.

Study Details

Study typeRct
EvidenceLevel 2
PublishedApr 2026
View Original Abstract ↓
IMPORTANCE: Intradetrusor chemodenervation with onabotulinumtoxinA (BOTOX) injections, a common office-based procedure for overactive bladder (OAB), is associated with patient anxiety and discomfort. Aromatherapy and music have been shown to decrease procedure-related anxiety and pain with improved satisfaction. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to determine whether a relaxing environment consisting of lavender aromatherapy, calming music, and dim lighting compared with a typical office environment decreases patients' anxiety level before undergoing intradetrusor chemodenervation. We hypothesized that a relaxing environment would decrease patients' anxiety level before the procedure as measured by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Secondary outcomes included the VAS for pain, satisfaction, and staff energy level. STUDY DESIGN: This was a single-center randomized trial of women receiving office intradetrusor chemodenervation for overactive bladder. Participants were randomized to receive their procedures in a relaxing versus typical office environment. Eighty patients were needed to detect a clinically significant 12 mm difference on the anxiety VAS. Staff completed a preclinic and postclinic Burnout Battery VAS to measure change in their energy level during the day. RESULTS: Patients in the relaxing environment reported a clinically significant reduction in anxiety (-13.8 ± 18.1 vs -4.7 ± 14.7, P = 0.015). Pain was lower for the relaxing environment group, although it did not reach statistical significance (21.9 vs 28.9, P = 0.261). Satisfaction scores were high in both groups (91.4 vs 89.3, P = 0.599) and not significantly different. The procedure room environment did not affect staff energy levels. CONCLUSIONS: A relaxing environment of lavender aromatherapy, calming music, and dim lighting is a noninvasive, easily implemented technique to decrease patients' anxiety before office intradetrusor chemodenervation.
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