Effectiveness of pain relief by "touch-relaxation" upon Redon suction drain removal in children aged 7 to 17: results of a multicenter randomized trial

Background: Redon drain removal is a source of pain and anxiety for the children despite the Equimolar Mixture of Oxygen and Nitrous Oxide (EMONO) use. This observation prompted our teams to develop a non-pharmacological technique, referred to as "touch-relaxation", as a treatment in its own right, to improve the care of children. Our study aimed to assess to what extent “touch-relaxation", in association with the routine pain management method, contributes to altered pain perception upon Redon drain removal. Methods: We conducted an open-label multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial. We randomized 232 children aged 7 to 17 years and in 2 parallel groups: an experimental group with EMONO and "touch-relaxation", and a control group with EMONO only. The primary outcome was the difference in pain between the two groups. Pain was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS).Results: From 2014 to 2018, 232 patients were recruited and 231 were analyzed: 117 in the experimental group and 114 in the control group. Children had been admitted for abdominal (48.1%; n = 111) or orthopedic surgery (46.3%; n = 107). The use of “touch-relaxation” with usual care was associated with a significantly lower proportion of children with VAS ≥ 4 (21.7%; n = 25) than in the control group (33.6%; n = 37) (p = 0.0459) upon Redon drain removal. Conclusions: "Touch-relaxation" reduces the child's perception of pain, thereby making the provision of care easier and reducing the degree of pain experienced. We recommend the use of "Touch-relaxation" as an easy and suitable additional pain management tool for nurses.