Background: Cardiac catheterization (CC) is a widely used cardiac investigation procedure in Hong Kong. However, back pain is frequently reported following CC due the prolonged bed rest after the procedure.
Aim: The overall aim of this study was to examine factors associated with back pain among Hong Kong Chinese patients after femoral access for CC.
Methods: A prospective study, nested within a randomized clinical trial (RCT), employing secondary analysis of an existing data set from 419 Chinese adults receiving nonemergency CC, were used. Following a review of literature, gender, age, history of back pain, type of dressing on the puncture site, length of bed rest duration, turning privilege during bed rest, catheter size used for CC, duration of the procedure, duration of hemostasis, and body weight were identified as potential factors affecting back pain level. Back pain was assessed at 6 h and the next morning after CC, using the Numeric Pain Intensity Scale (NPIS). Analysis was done using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), after testing for normality of the distribution.
Results: Turning privilege (p = 0.001), age (p = 0.04), and body weight (p = 0.006) were significantly related to level of back pain at 6 h and the next morning after CC.
Conclusion: Results of this study may help nurses have a better understanding about patients' physical needs and appropriate nursing interventions that can be planned to enhance patient comfort following CC.