The effect of cryotherapy application before versus after subcutaneous anticoagulant injection on pain intensity and hematoma formation: A quasi-experimental design.
Dalia Salah El-Deen, Naglaa F A Youssef
PMID 31406829WHAT IT FOUND
Applying an ice pack for five minutes before or after a subcutaneous anticoagulant injection reduced pain compared to routine care.
Applying ice after the injection reduced hematoma size and incidence more than applying it before.
Key findings
01Pain intensity was significantly lower in both cryotherapy groups compared to the control group, with no significant difference between applying ice before or after injection.
02Hematoma incidence was significantly lower in the group receiving cryotherapy after injection (31.4% at 48 hours) compared to the control and before-injection groups (100%).
03Hematoma size was significantly smaller in the after-injection cryotherapy group compared to both the control and the before-injection cryotherapy groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used a quasi-experimental design rather than a randomized controlled trial, which increases the risk of bias. The study was conducted in a single teaching hospital in Egypt, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other healthcare settings. The control group received routine hospital care, but the specific details of this routine care were not fully described, making it difficult to assess if standard pain management was consistent. A significant number of participants (23 out of 128) did not complete the three-timepoint assessment, leading to a reduction in the final analyzed sample size.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that cryotherapy eliminates hematoma formation entirely. Even in the most effective group, nearly one-third of patients still developed a hematoma at 48 hours.