The Effect of Cold Compress on Pain Intensity Due to Arterial Sheath Removal in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angioplasty in Selected Military Hospitals

Introduction: Pain is a common and unpleasant complication reported by patients undergoing angioplasty following arterial sheath removal. Pain is one of the most common complications of arterial sheath removal in patients undergoing coronary artery angioplasty, which has been reported to be very unpleasant. Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of cold compress on pain intensity due to arterial sheath removal in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty. Materials and Methods: The present study is a semi-experimental study consisting of 60 patients undergoing coronary artery angioplasty hospitalized in selected hospitals of Aja in the second half of 2019. The research samples were selected by convenient method and randomly divided into cold compressions (n= 30) and control (n= 30) groups. Demographic and Visual Analog Scales were used for data collection. The intervention  was done using a 2 × 2 × 4 cm ice pack placed in a latex glove with a sterile gauze cover and used for 5 minutes before the the removal of sheath and there was no intervention in the control group. Data were collected in three stages before, during and after the intervention and analyzed with SPSS 23. Results: Mean scores of pain intensity were not significantly different between the two groups before the intervention, while in comparing these two variables during the intervention, a statistically significant difference was observed between (P<0.001). Discussion and Conclusion: The results showed that cold compress can be effective in reducing the pain intensity to arterial sheath removal in patients under coronary angioplasty, so it is recommended that one of nursing interventions be used in this regard.