Fahimeh Rashidi
1*, Fahimeh Sehhati
2, Morteza Ghojazadeh
3, Yosef Javadzadeh
4, Monireh Haghsaie
51 MSc, Postgraduate Student, Department of Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, International Aras Branch, Tabriz, Iran
2 MSc, Instructor, Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
3 PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
4 PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
5 BSc in Midwifery, Women’s Clinic, Alzahra Hospital, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: Episiotomy is a medical intervention in delivery which is still one of the most common surgical procedures. Topical phenytoin cream possesses analgesic, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammation effects as well as accelerating tissue healing. Hence, the present study aimed to compare the effect of topical phenytoin cream with betadine solution on pain reduction of episiotomy incision. Methods: In this double-blind clinical trial, 120 primiparous women with episiotomy that were referred to Al-Zahra Medical Center of Tabriz in 2010 were randomly allocated to phenytoin or betadine groups (60 in each group). Pain assessment was determine and compared using visual analog scale (VAS) in the first 24-hours and then in the 10th day after delivery. Data analysis performed using chi-square, independent t-student and repeated measurements ANOVA tests. Results: The mean pain intensity in the first 24-hours postpartum was 4.39 ± 1.11 in phenytoin group and in betadine group it was 7.11 ± 1.48 (p < 0.001). In the tenth day after delivery, mean pain intensity in phenytoin and betadine groups was 0.72 ± 1.04 and 3.45 ± 2.00 respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results showed that local phenytoin is effective on reducing the pain of episiotomy wound and can be replaced with betadine.