The Effects of Arnigol Cream on Pain Associated with Arteriovenous Fistula Puncture in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis: A Randomized Double‑Blind Clinical Trial study

Background: In each hemodialysis session, hemodialysis patients undergotwo vascular punctures with large‑diameter needles, which are associatedwith great pain. The reduction of puncture pain helps these patients accepthemodialysis and enhances their quality of life. Objective: The present studywas conducted to assess the effects of Arnigol cream on the pain associatedwith arteriovenous fistula puncture. Methods: As a double‑blind single‑grouprandomized clinical trial, the present study was made on 71 hemodialysispatients. Each patient received an arterial and a venous fistula puncture. Onepuncture site was randomly allocated to the experiment and the other one tothe placebo. Before needle insertion, the experiment and the placebo sites weretreated for 10 min with 5 ml of Arnigol cream or Vitamin A and D ointment,respectively. After needle insertion, pain intensity at puncture sites was assessedusing a visual analog scale. The data were analyzed using the paired‑samplet‑test. Results: Participants were 71 hemodialysis patients, 49.3% were female.The mean of participants’ age was 56.86 ± 15.10 years, with a range of 22–82. The length of receiving hemodialysis ranged from 4 to 96 months with amean of 40.36 ± 22.79. Diabetes mellitus was the major cause of renal failureamong participants (56.3%). The intensity of pain at the experiment site wassignificantly lower than the placebo site (2.83 ± 1.60 vs. 3.46 ± 1.57; P = 0.006).Conclusions: This study showed the effectiveness of Arnigol cream in reducingthe pain associated with arteriovenous fistula puncture among patients receivinghemodialysis. Thus, nurses are recommended to use this simple, safe, andinexpensive modality to reduce fistula puncture pain.