Evaluation of a diclofenac transdermal patch for the attenuation of venous cannulation pain: a prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Venous cannulation, although a minor procedure, is often painful. The present study was planned to evaluate the efficacy of a diclofenac transdermal patch placed over the venepuncture site in decreasing the pain of cannulation. Seventy-two adults undergoing elective surgery were included in this randomised, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients were divided into three equal groups. The Control group had a placebo adhesive patch placed on the both the dorsum of hand and the buttock; the Diclofenac-Buttock group had a placebo patch placed on the dorsum of the hand and a diclofenac transdermal patch on the buttock; the Diclofenac-Hand group had a diclofenac transdermal patch placed on the dorsum of hand and a placebo patch on the buttock. The patches were applied 1 h before cannulation. An 18G cannula was used for all venous cannulations. Pain during cannulation was assessed on a non-graduated 10-cm visual analogue scale. Median [interquartile range] pain scores were 3.0 [2.0-4.0] in the Diclofenac-Hand group, 5.0 [4.3-7.8] in the Diclofenac-Buttock group and 6.5 [4.5-7.0] in the Control group, p < 0.05. The numbers needed to treat were six and two in the Diclofenac-Buttock and Diclofenac-Hand groups, respectively. The application of a diclofenac transdermal patch at the cannulation site appears to be effective in decreasing cannulation pain.
Department of Anaesthesiology, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow 226 014, India. agarwal@sgpgi.ac.in
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Agarwal
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Dhiraaj
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Kumar
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Singhal
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Singh
D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002081:Buttocks; D004008:Diclofenac / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D018962:Phlebotomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011446:Prospective Studies
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D004008:Diclofenac