Effect of Cold Application on Pain Associated With Jackson–Pratt Drain Removal in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Randomised Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Jackson-Pratt drains are commonly used following kidney transplantation to monitor and drain fluid that collects around the graft. Although the percutaneous removal of the drain is a quick procedure that can be performed at the bedside, it can cause significant pain. Multimodal analgesia is recommended for managing pain in these patients. However, evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of some analgesic options in this population remains limited. Therefore, non-pharmacological interventions that support pharmacological treatment may be safe and complementary options in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effect of cold application on pain caused by Jackson-Pratt drain removal in kidney transplant recipients. DESIGN: This was a single-centre, open-label, randomised controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS: The study was conducted with adult patients aged ≥18 years, who received a kidney transplant between November 2023 and April 2024. MEASUREMENTS: A patient information form was used to collect participants' sociodemographic data, and pain intensity was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale. In both groups, pain intensity was assessed before drain removal, immediately after removal, and 15 min later. In the intervention group, cold application was administered before drain removal. Analgesic requirement was assessed immediately after drain removal by directly asking patients whether they required analgesia. RESULTS: The intervention group had significantly lower pain intensity and lower analgesic requirement than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that local cold application may be a feasible and potentially effective non-pharmacological intervention for reducing procedural pain associated with Jackson-Pratt drain removal in kidney transplant recipients. However, given the single-centre, open-label design and the reliance on subjective pain and self-reported analgesic outcomes, the findings should be interpreted with caution. Further multicentre and blinded studies are needed to confirm these results before routine clinical implementation can be recommended.