title: Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on pain anxiety during burn wound care.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Changes in neuronal activity by cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the sensory cortex can relieve acute pain. Studies have demonstrated high correlation between burn pain and anxiety in burn patients. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of tDCS on pain anxiety in patients with severe burn.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a controlled randomized clinical trial, 60 subjects who were hospitalized during the year 2014 in the Department of Burn and Reconstructive Surgery of Imam Reza Hospital of Mashhad were selected as the sample for this study. The patients were randomly assigned to one of the two groups. A cathodal stimulation group that received real 1.0mA tDCS over sensory cortex lasted 20min and the control group received sham tDCS. Pain anxiety was obtained by self-report pain anxiety questionnaire before and after stimulation. It was also completed immediately after burn dressing. The data were analyzed by performing the Chi-square, Fisher's exact, independent samples t, paired samples t, Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests using SPSS 11.5 software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pain anxiety score reduced significantly in the real tDCS compared with sham group (23.4±3.8 versus 29.3±2.0, p≤0.001). After stimulation there was a decrease in pain anxiety score in real tDCS group (p=0.010).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to our study, cathodal cortical stimulation with tDCS is associated with significant reduction in pain anxiety in burn patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Paramedical, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran. Electronic address: mahoseini@muq.ac.ir.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hosseini Amiri
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology Research Center, Imam Reza Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Electronic address: tavoosih@mums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Tavousi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Electronic address: mazlomr@mums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Mazlom
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Electronic address: manzariz@mums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Z S
authors.initials: ZS
authors.lastname: Manzari
mesh_terms: D059787:Acute Pain / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002056:Burns / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065908:Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Burn; Dressing; Pain anxiety; Transcranial direct current stimulation