Effect of cold therapy on the pain of deep-breathing and coughing in patients after coronary artery bypass grafting

Cold therapy, non-pharmacological pain management, can be used as a short-strong analgesic in relieving
musculoskeletal pain. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of cold therapy on the pain relieving in patient
undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. This randomized clinical trial study was conducted in 46 eligible and
consenting patients who recruited and randomly allocated to gel pack and non- gel pack groups after the first postsurgical
day. All participants performed two episodes of deep breathing and coughing, with and without gel pack. In
the gel pack group the quality of pain was measured before applying cold gel pack and after deep breathing and
coughing (DB & C) and in the non-gel pack group was measured before and after DB & C episodes. The data were
analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA), ANCOVA, t-test, and pair-t-test. The
ANCOVA analysis revealed a significant reduction in sensory pain scores between pre- and post- application of the
gel pack. Cold therapy reduces pain relating to deep breathing and coughing in patient undergoing coronary artery
bypass grafting