The effects of cold therapy on postoperative pain in gynecologic patients: a prospective, randomized study.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of cold therapy on the subjective assessment of pain, analgesic requirements, and wound complications in female patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.

Study Design: Twenty-seven patients were entered in the study in a prospective, randomized fashion. The Hot/Ice Thermal Blanket was applied to 13 patients, and 12 patients were in the control group. All patients underwent exploratory laparotomy and received postoperative pain relief with intravenously self-administered morphine sulfate through a patient-controlled analgesic pump.

Results: Compared with the control group (0.363 +/- 0.118 mg/kg/day), the cold pack group used more morphine sulfate on the first postoperative day (0.529 +/- 0.236 mg/kg/day, p < 0.05). The mean amount of morphine sulfate used by both groups was similar on postoperative day 2.

Conclusion: We conclude that the cold pack does not improve postoperative pain control in gynecologic patients undergoing exploratory laparotomy.