Background: Subcutaneous anticoagulant injection frequently result in pain, swelling, and bruising at the injection
site. Cold compresses are a pain-relieving treatment that works by lowering catecholamine levels, raising endorphin
levels, and delaying pain signal transmission to the central nervous system. Aim of the study: To evaluate the effect
of cold compresses on pain intensity and ecchymosis among patients receiving a subcutaneous anticoagulant
injection. Design: A quasi-experimental research design (study/control group) was utilized. Setting: The research
was carried out at Benha University Hospital's Cardiac Care Unit. Participants: A six-month purposive sample of
cardiac care unit patients who were treated with subcutaneous anticoagulants (from the beginning of febreuary2021
to the end of July 2021). Tools for gathering data include: Tool I Patient Assessment Tool, Tool Bruising Category
Scale, Tool Visual Analogue Pain Rating Scale, and Tool IV Ecchymosis Education Scale are some of the tools used
to assess patients. Results: The difference in pain intensity between the study and control groups was highly
statistically significant at a p-value of 0.000, with more than half of the control group suffering bruising at the
injection site, compared to less than a quarter of the study group. In terms of ecchymosis, more than half of the study
group had no ecchymosis, compared to less than a quarter of the control group. Conclusion: Based on the data, it
can be concluded that applying cold compresses to the study group reduced pain intensity, bruising, and ecchymosis
formation more effectively than in the control group.. Recommendations: To generalize the findings more broadly,
the study could be done with bigger sample size. |
