Effect of Local Cold on Pain and Bruising at the Injection Site of Subcutaneous Enoxaparin Sodium

Heparin Products are used largely due to the positive effects of the treatment. Since bruising and pain are thier unpleasant consequences following injection, we aimed at determining the effect of local cold on occurrence of pain and bruising at the injection site of subcutaneous enoxaparin sodium. This experimental study was conducted on 36 patients allocated randomly to case and control groups in Panje Azar teaching center in Groan, 2012. In control group, routine subcutaneous injection of enoxaparin, without local cold, in 10 seconds was performed while in case group, local cold was applied for five minutes before routine subcutaneous injection. The data was collected via a researcher-made check-list consisting of demographic part and the section for recording the extent of bruising and pain intensity. The Extent of bruising was measured by using clear flexible ruler within 24-48-72 hours and pain intensity by visual analog scale (VAS) immediately after injection. Data was analyzed by SPSS- 16 using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results indicated that the mean of pain intensity in control (3.86±2.75) and case group (3.05±1.71) was not significantly different (P=0.148) and it is true for the extent of bruising in 24- 48-72 hours, no significant difference between two groups. Regarding the results, cold application before injection is not effective in reducing pain intensity and the size of the bruising.