Evaluation and comparison of the effects of Xyla-P cream and cold compress on the pain caused by the cannulation of arteriovenous fistula in hemodialysis patients.

This study aimed to investigate and compare the effects of Xyla-P cream and cold compress on the pain caused by the insertion of a needle into the arteriovenous fistula (AVF) in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This clinical trial was conducted on HD patients who were selected using simple random sampling method. Using a visual analog scale, pain intensity was measured during two HD sessions in three stages including after the application of a placebo, after application of Xyla-P cream, and after the application of cold compress. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated measures analysis of variance. Our results showed that there were statistically significant differences between the pain scores of the control group and Xyla-P cream group (P <0.001) and cold compress group (P <0.001) and between the pain scores of the Xyla-P cream group and cold compress group (P <0.001). The cannulation of an AVF causes moderate pain in HD patients. Cold compress is more effective than Xyla-P cream in reducing the intensity of the pain. Therefore, the nurses are recommended to use this pain relief method instead of medicinal methods.