Document Type : Research articles
Authors
1 Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, IR Iran
2 School of Nursing and Midwifery, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, IR Iran
3 Department of Nephrology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, IR Iran
Abstract
Background: Pruritus during dialysis is a common complaint among patients undergoing hemodialysis. Despite progress in medical science and technology in the field of hemodialysis, there is still no cure for pruritus.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of cool dialysate on the severity of pruritus during hemodialysis of patients with chronic renal failure.
Patients and Methods: This study was a two-group, triple-blinded randomized clinical trial, with a parallel design. It consisted of 60 patients with chronic renal failure who were receiving hemodialysis at hemodialysis centers in Mashhad. The patients were divided into two equal groups: 30 patients in an intervention group and 30 patients in a control group. Initially, the patients in both groups underwent dialysis for one week (three sessions) with a standard dialysis solution (temperature of 37 °C). In the next phase, the control group received the standard dialysis solution, whereas the intervention group received a cool dialysis solution (35.5°C) for one week (three sessions). The severity of pruritus was recorded using a visual analogue scale (VAS), with itching scored from 0 -10 on an hourly basis during the dialysis sessions.
Results: Before the intervention, there was no significant between-group difference in the severity of pruritus (P < 0.05). After the intervention, the severity of pruritus was significantly reduced (reduction of 3 points, itching score range of 0 - 10) (P < 0.0001).
Conclusions: Dialysis with cool dialysate is a simple and cheap nondrug method, which was readily accepted by the patients. This method could significantly reduce the severity of pruritus in patients during dialysis
Keywords
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