Effect of applying Ice bag on pain intensity associated with chest tube removal after cardiac surgery

Inserting at least one chest tube is necessary in cardiac and thoracic surgery patients. Chest tube removal (CTR) has been described as one of the worst experiences by patients in intensive care unit. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the application of ice bag on pain intensity of chest tube removal in adult patients undergo cardiothoracic surgery. This single-blinded crossover clinical trial was done on 51 post cardiac surgery patients in Imam Reza Hospital of Mashhad، Iran، who had at least two chest tubes in situ. Patients assigned to 3 groups of Ice bag، placebo and control. Ice and placebo bags were applied to the area surrounding the chest tubes for 20 minutes before CTR. Pain intensity was measured by visual analog scale before، immediately after and 15 minutes after CTR. Data analysis was done by ANOVA، Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-square tests. There were no significant difference in pain intensity and quality scores of three groups before CTR. Immediately after CTR، pain intensity score in ice bag group (2. 5±2. 3) was significantly less than placebo (4. 2±3. 2) and control groups [4. 0±2. 7). After 15 minutes of CTR، there was significant difference in pain intensity scores of ice bag (0. 6±0. 7) versus placebo (2. 0±2. 6) and control (1. 9±1. 9) groups. Applying ice bag is an effective، cheap and low risk intervention for decreasing pain associated with CTR.