AIM: To investigate the alleviating effects of perioperative psychological intervention combined with distraction therapy on discomfort in patients undergoing combined minimally invasive treatment for lower limb varicose veins.

METHODS: In this retrospective study, 150 patients with lower limb varicose veins who underwent combined minimally invasive treatment at The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from January 2023 to June 2024 were included. The patients were divided into an observation group (73 cases) and a control group (77 cases) according to the type of perioperative nursing treatments received. Both groups of patients received routine intravenous analgesics during the procedure. The control group received routine intraoperative care, while the observation group underwent perioperative psychological intervention and distraction therapy on the basis of routine care. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores were compared between the two groups at key procedural time points, including great saphenous vein trunk closure, local vein excision, and sclerosant injection. The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) scores at multiple time points, heart rate, blood pressure fluctuations, and postoperative patient satisfaction were evaluated and compared.

RESULTS: The VAS scores at each time point in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (p < 0.001). The SAS scores at the pre- and post-operatively were significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (p < 0.05). The heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure fluctuation during the surgery were smaller in the observation group than in the control group (p < 0.001). The patient satisfaction rate in the observation group significantly exceeded that in the control group (97.26% vs 83.12%, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative psychological intervention combined with distraction therapy provides a potential strategy to alleviate preoperative anticipatory anxiety in patients with lower limb varicose veins undergoing combined minimally invasive treatment. By employing various intraoperative methods to divert patients’ attention from pain, this approach may further alleviate overall discomfort. These findings suggest that this strategy is associated with favorable outcomes and may warrant further investigation for clinical application.