RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Coronary interventions and electrophysiology procedures may be painful both during and shortly after the procedure. AIM: To assess the onset of pain and anxiety in patient undergoing coronary interventions and electrophysiology procedures; to describe the administration (frequency, timing, dosage and outcomes) of analgesics and anxiolytics before, during and after the procedure. METHODS: A descriptive multicenter study was carried out. Pain and anxiety were measured with a 10-point visual analogue scale (VAS) before, during, after the procedure and for the following 24 hours. Patient were asked to rate their satisfaction for the information received and pain control. RESULTS: Data on 230 patients were collected. The most performed procedure was the transradial coronary catheterization (68.7%). The pacemaker/defibrillator implantation resulted the most painful procedure (median 4, IQR 3-6) and also the most anxious (median 5, IQR 2-6). 13 Patients received an analgesic during the procedure for a low-to-severe pain; during the following 24 hours 34 patients (5 undergoing transradial coronary catheterization and 29 the implant of pacemaker/cardiac-defibrillator) suffered from severe pain and with the exception of 5, all requested pain relief. Satisfaction for pain control was inadequate for patients who underwent electrophysiology procedures and 55 patients would have needed more information on pain. CONCLUSION: Pain control and patient satisfaction may be improved, pre-procedural anxiety needs more attention and better information on the procedure should be provided.