27 / 46
Pain Management 2019 & Internal Medicine 2019
International Journal of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine
ISSN: 2471-982X
Page 65
JOINT EVENT
7
th
Edition of International Conference on
Pain Management
8
th
Edition of International Conference on
Internal Medicine &
Patient Care
&
March 25-26, 2019
Rome, Italy
Int J Anesth Pain Med 2019, Volume 5
DOI: 10.21767/2471-982X-C1-006
Application of cold cabbage leaf and cold gel pack for
breast engorgement pain (RCT)
Boh Boi Wong
National University of Singapore, Singapore
Background:
The effects of cold cabbage leaves and
cold gel packs on breast engorgement management
have been inconclusive. No studies have compared the
effects of these methods on breast engorgement using
a rigorous design.
Objectives:
Toexamine the effectiveness of cold cabbage
leaves and cold gel packs application on pain, hardness,
and temperature due to breast engorgement, the duration
of breast feeding and satisfaction.
Design:
A randomized controlled three-group pre-test
and repeated post-test study.
Setting:
A private maternal and children’s hospital in
Singapore.
Participants:
Mothers (n = 227) with breast engorgement
within 14 days after delivery.
Methods:
The mothers were randomly assigned into
either cold cabbage leaves, cold gel packs, or the control
group. Pain, hardness of breasts, and body temperature
were measured before treatment. Two sets of post-test
assessments were conducted at 30 minutes, 1 hour,
and 2 hours after the first and second application. The
duration of breastfeeding was measured up to 6 months.
IBM SPSS 23.0 was used to analyses the data.
Results:
Mothers in the cabbage leaves and gel packs
groups had significant reductions in pain at all post-
intervention time points compared to the control group,
starting from 30 minutes after the first application of
cabbage leaves (mean difference= 0.38, p= 0.016) or
gel packs (mean difference = -0.39, p= 0.013). When
compared to the control group, mothers in the cabbage
leaves group had significant reductions in the hardness of
breasts at all post-intervention time points, and mothers
in the gel packs group had significant reductions in the
hardness of breasts at two time points (1 hour and 2
hours after the first and second application, respectively).
Mothers in the cabbage leaves group had significant
reductions in pain (mean difference = -0.53, p= 0.005) and
hardness of breasts (mean difference= -0.35, p=0.003) at
2 hours after the second application compared to those
in the gel packs group. Both interventions had no impact
on body temperature. There was no significant difference
in the durations of breastfeeding for mothers among the
three groups at 3-month and 6-month follow-up. More
mothers were very satisfied with the breast engorgement
care provided in the cabbage leaves group compared to
the other groups.
Conclusion:
Whilecoldcabbageleavesandcoldgelpacks
can relieve pain and hardness in breast engorgement, the
former had better effect, which can be recommended to
postnatal mothers to manage breast engorgement trial.
bbwong@thomsonmedical.com