Effect of Hypericum Perforatum Oil on Ecchymosis and Pain

Uskudar University160 enrolled

Overview

Low molecular weight heparin is a drug with anticoagulant and antithrombotic effects. This drug is frequently administered subcutaneously to patients by nurses. Complications such as pain, ecchymosis and hematoma may commonly occur at the injection site. This study investigated the effect of Hypericum Perforatum oil in preventing pain and ecchymosis after subcutaneous injection low molecular weight heparin. This quasi-experimental and single blinded study was conducted with 160 patients in a coronary intensive care unit. The researcher nurse applied 5-6 drops of Hypericum Perforatum oil to one arm of the patients 2 hours before the injection. The other arm of the patient was considered as the control arm. A total of 320 injections were administered. The evaluation of the injection sites was performed by two other researchers at 48th hours. The data were analyzed using Wilcoxon and McNemar test.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

160

Conditions

Pain Ecchymosis

Interventions

The research nurse working in the CICU applied 5-6 drops of hypericum perforatum oil on one arm of the patient with a patting motion 2 hours before the injection. The area was left open for the oil to be absorbed. Only this nurse who administered the injection knows on which arm the oil was applied.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Pain point

The patient's pain was evaluated with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) 48 hours after the injection. Visual Analogue Scale is a reliable pain assessment scale to determine the pain felt by patients at the injection site. The VAS is a self-report scale consisting of a horizontal line (10 cm long) with anchor points "no pain" and "worst possible pain". The patient is asked to mark the place on this line that best describes the intensity of pain. A marking of "0" means "no pain". Marking "10" means "'intolerable pain". In this way, the patient scores his/her pain between 1-10.

Time frame: 48 hours after injection

Ecchymosis

Ecchymosis was evaluated at 48th hours after injection in the study. A transparent ruler that allows millimetric measurement was used to measure the ecchymosis at the injection site. The discoloration at the injection site was measured in millimeter. Ecchymosis was defined as an area of discolored skin of more than 2 mm appearing 48th hours after administration. The maximum horizontal extent (diameter) of the bruise was recorded regardless of whether the bruise was regular or uneven in shape at the time of measurement. According to previous studies, bruise size was analyzed according to 3 categories: no bruise (0-1 mm), small bruise (2-5 mm) and large bruise (\>5 mm). In our study, bruises \>2 mm in size was accepted as ecchymosis.