Effect of Cryotherapyon Pain Following Fistula Puncture in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis

Background and Objectives: Patients undergoing hemodialysis are exposed to stress and pain due to approximately 300 punctures per year they receive for their arteriovenous fistula. Alleviation of the pain can improve acceptance of the procedure and quality of life among the patients. This study aimed to assess the effect of cryotherapy on arteriovenous fistula puncture pain among patients udergoing hemodialysis. Materials and Methods: In this clincal trial, a convenience sample of 40 patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to the experiment and control groups. Pain was measured using the visual analogue pain scale at baseline and after the cryotherapy in Hugo Point in experimentd group and control groups. Data were analyzed using the descriptive (frequency, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics(independent t-test, paired t-test, Chi-squared, Pearson's test) in the SPSS. Results: At baseline, mean of the pain scores were 5.9&plusmn;0.96 and 5.5&plusmn;0.82 among the experiment and control groups, respectively. After the intervention, mean of the pain scores were 3.2&plusmn;0.82 in the cryotherapy group and 5.1&plusmn;1.25 in the control group (p<0.001). Conclusion: Application of cryotherapy as a safe method with low side effects is suggested for pain control among patients with hemodialysis.