Original Research Article
Year: 2020 | Month: March | Volume: 10 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 159-163
Effectiveness of Cryotherapy on Pain Intensity at Puncture Sites of Arteriovenous Fistula on Patients with Hemodialysis in Dialysis Unit of a Tertiary Care Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab
Kapil Sharma1, Jaspreet Kaur2
1Associate Professor, College of Nursing, DMC & Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab.
2Nurse Practitioner in Critical Care, DMC & Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab.
Corresponding Author: Kapil Sharma
ABSTRACT
Patients with chronic renal failure need treatments such as kidney transplantation, hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. The most common treatment for the disease is hemodialysis. Pain during arteriovenous fistula (AVF) cannulation remains a common problem in hemodialysis (HD) patients that leads to noncompliance to lifetime maintenance HD. The recommended hierarchy of management should consist of non-pharmacological treatment as first, then drugs and if necessary, surgery. From a review conducted, cryotherapy is the application of any material that removes heat from the body resulting in decreased tissue temperature. It decreases tissue blood flow by causing vasoconstriction and reduces tissue metabolism and muscle spasm. Total 20 patients selected by purposive sampling technique were studied on 3 successive hemodialysis sessions in dialysis unit of a tertiary care hospital, Ludhiana. On initial observation, baseline pre- and post-puncture of arteriovenous fistula vital signs parameters and post-puncture numerical pain rating scale were measured. On second observation, cryotherapy was given to the patients on the web between thumb and index finger of contralateral arm with measurement of pre- and post-intervention vital signs parameters and post-puncture of arteriovenous fistula numerical pain rating scale. On third observation, cryotherapy was given around arteriovenous fistula site with measurement of pre- and post-intervention vital signs parameters and post-puncture of arteriovenous fistula numerical pain rating scale. The findings revealed that in baseline observation, Mean score was 7.4which decreased to 5.3 in second observation and further decreased to 4.4 in third observation and Standard Deviation was 0.69 in baseline observation which increased to 0.75 in second observation and further increased to 0.86 in third observation with t value of 0.0009 at p<0.05.The study concluded that cryotherapy is effective on arteriovenous puncture pain. Hence, cryotherapy is recommended for arteriovenous fistula puncture pain.
Key words: Arteriovenous fistula, Cryotherapy, Hemodialysis.