The effect of acupressure on pain level and hemodynamic parameters after coronary angiography: a randomized controlled study.

Background: Subsequent to coronary angiography, procedures performed to prevent bleeding may cause pain in the patient. In this study, we aimed to determine the effect of acupressure on pain level and hemodynamic parameters in patients undergoing coronary angiography. Method: In this prospective, a two-arm (1:1), randomized controlled trial was conducted, with 124 patients undergoing coronary angiography included. The randomly assigned study group (n = 62) received acupressure on the LI4 (on the dorsum of the hand, between the 1st and 2nd metacarpal bones), PC6 (three fingers above the wrist), and LI11 (at the lateral end of the transverse cubital crease) points for 15 min 2 h after angiography, while the control group (n = 62) received no acupressure. Data were collected using the visual pain scale (VAS) and hemodynamic parameters [systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2)], monitoring form before, immediately after, and at 10, 20, and 30 min after acupressure. Results: In the study, it was found that patients had moderate pain after coronary angiography (study group: 5.02 ± 2.27; control group: 3.98 ± 1.82). When the groups were compared, it was found that the VAS score of the study group before angiography was significantly higher than that of the control group, but lower than the control group immediately after acupressure, and at 10, 20, and 30 min after acupressure. In addition, it was determined that acupressure was significantly higher in DBP and RR in the study group compared to the control group at 20 and 30 min; it was not effective in terms of SBP, HR, and SpO2 values. Conclusion: The results of the study indicated that patients reported moderate pain after coronary angiography, and that acupressure was effective in reducing the pain level, but affected only the DBP and RR hemodynamic parameters. Since the study was single-centered and followed for a short time, it is recommended to conduct new studies with a longer duration.

Cultural Perceptions of Nursing Students Regarding Pain and Methods Used for Pain Management.

BACKGROUND: Understanding cultural perception of pain and determining the methods used for pain management contribute to the assessment of the pain experienced by nursing students. AIMS: The aim of this study is to determine the effect of culture on nursing students' perception of pain and the modern, cultural, and traditional methods they use for pain self-management. DESIGN: This study is a cross-sectional descriptive study. PARTICIPANTS/SUBJECTS: This study was carried out with 319 nursing students between March 1 and May 1, 2020. METHODS: For data collection, a questionnaire created by the researchers after literature review and the Pain Beliefs Scale were used. Data were evaluated using SPSS Statistics 20.0 program. RESULTS: The type of pain experienced most often by nursing students is headache (56.7%). The pain they experienced negatively affected daily activities. The mean score of those who used cultural method of psychologic beliefs for reducing pain was statistically significant (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Nursing students generally use massage, warm shower, and herbal tea drinking for pain management. The psychologic belief scores of those who applied these traditional methods of pain reduction were high.

Effects of endotracheal tube fixation methods on haemodynamic parameters during endotracheal suction: A single-blind non-randomized clinical trial study.

AIM: This study aimed to determine the effect of the methods used in endotracheal tube fixation on haemodynamic parameters (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation) during endotracheal suction. METHODS: The sample of this prospective, parallel two-armed, single-blind non-randomized clinical trial study included 86 intubated patients treated in the cardiovascular surgery intensive care unit between September 2016 and December 2017. The endotracheal tube was fixed with tube holders in the intervention group (n = 43), whereas the endotracheal tube was fixed with plasters in the control group (n = 43). The patients' haemodynamic parameters were measured before, during, at the end of suction, and 5 and 15 min after suction. RESULTS: In comparison with the patients with plasters, patients with tube holders had significantly lower systolic blood pressure 15 min after endotracheal suction and significantly lower diastolic blood pressure during and at the end of endotracheal suction. Oxygen saturation of the patients with tube holder during, at the end, and following 5 min after endotracheal suction were higher than patients with plaster. Heart rate was not affected during endotracheal suction in both groups. CONCLUSION: The study showed the tube holder affected the haemodynamic parameters during endotracheal suction less than the plaster.

Causative pathogens and antibiotic resistance in diabetic foot infections: A prospective multi-center study.

AIM: Clinical practice guidelines for the management of diabetic foot infections developed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) are commonly used worldwide. The issue of whether or not these guidelines need to be adjusted for local circumstances, however, has seldom been assessed in large prospective trials. METHODS: The Turk-DAY trial was a prospective, multi-center study in which infectious disease specialists from centers across Turkey were invited to participate (NCT02026830). RESULTS: A total of 35 centers throughout Turkey enrolled patients in the trial. Overall, investigators collected a total of 522 specimens from infected diabetic foot wounds for culture from 447 individual patients. Among all isolates, 36.4% were gram-positive organisms, with Staphylococcus aureus the most common among these (11.4%). Gram-negative organisms constituted 60.2% of all the isolates, and the most commonly isolated gram-negative was Escherichia coli (15%). The sensitivity rates of the isolated species were remarkably low for several antimicrobials used in the mild infection group. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our findings, several of the antimicrobials frequently used for empirical treatment, including some also recommended in the IDSA guidelines, would not be optimal for treating diabetic foot infections in Turkey. Although the IDSA guideline recommendations may be helpful to guide empiric antimicrobial therapy of DFIs, they should be adjusted to local conditions.