A study to assess the outcome of cryotherapy on arteriovenous fistula puncture pain among patients on hemodialysis at vijaya health centre Vadapalani, Chennai 2011 – 2012.

Dialysis is typically needed when about 90 percent or more of kidney function is lost. This usually takes many months or years after kidney disease is first discovered. Early in the course of kidney disease, other treatments are used to help preserve kidney function and delay the need for replacement therapy. ❖ Anteriovenous fistula is very important vascular access. Vascular access creates a way for blood to be removed from the body, circulate through the dialysis machine, and then return to the body. ❖ The access should be created before hemodialysis begins because it needs time heal before it can be used. Having an intravenous line or frequent blood draws in the arm that will be used for access can damage the vein, which could prevent them being used for a hemodialysis access. ❖ Pain during arteriovenous fistula puncture pain remains a common problem in hemodialysis patients. Cryotherapy is one of the non – pharmacological method of reducing pain. It is a non invasive procedure. ❖ This study was conducted to the outcome of cryotherapy on arteriovenous fistula puncture pain among patients on hemodialysis and adopting a experimental pre test and post test design. Sixty clients undergone hemodialysis with anteriovenous fistula were selected for experimental and control group. The data was collected from who were undergone hemodialysis by using anteriovenous fistula. ❖ Numerical pain rating scale was used to assess the pain level. Ethical aspects were considered throughout the study. The conceptual frame work adopted for this study was modified Orlando's Nursing Process Theory. ❖ Analysis revealed that, outcome of pain was a decrease in mean value 4.73 to 2.60 decrease in standard deviation form 0.91 to0.67 respectively the "t" value 33.796*** was found to be highly significant at p