Comparison the effect of lidocaine gel and inhalation of lavender aromatherapy on pain score of arteriovenous fistula puncture in hemodialysis patients

patients undergoing hemodialysis repetitively experience pain and anxiety related toarterivenous fistula (AVF) punctures. Using of appropriate methods of pain relief in this patients is very important. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of lidocaine gel and inhalation of lavender aromatherapy on pain intensity of arterivenous fistula puncture in heamodialysis patients. In this before and after clinical trial study, 40 heamodialysis patients were selectedthrough using of convenience sampling method.Pain intensity measured after needle insertion in AVF in three stages including without any intervention, after applyinglidocaine2% gel, and using of lavender aromatherapy in the three consecutive heamodialysis sessions of each stage. Visual analogue scalewas used to evaluate and determine pain intensity by patients immediately after cannulation. Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 16.0software and Repeated ANOVA test. Showed that the mean pain score in three stages of without any intervention, using lidocaine gel and inhalation of lavender aromatherapy were 5.54±1.94, 3.81±1.46 and 3.34±2 respectively. There was significant difference between the mean pain score in before and after using lidocaine gel (p˂0.001). There also was significant difference between pain score in before and after and inhalation of lavender aromatherapy (p˂0.001). However there was not any significant difference between pain score using lidocaine gel and inhalation of lavender aromatherapy (p꞊0.236). Venipuncture for AVF cannulation causes moderate pain in hemodialysis patients. Inhalation of lavender aromatherapy is as effective as lidocaine2% gel to decrease thispain in hemodialysis patients. Therefore, it recommends that nurses use this complementary pain relief method instead of pharmaceutical method.