Rapid induction analgesia for the alleviation of procedural pain during burn care

Burn patients must often endure intense pain during their regular dressing changes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of rapid induction analgesia (RIA) on resting and procedural pain, anticipatory anxiety, relaxation levels and medication consumption in 30 hospitalized burn patients. Patients rated levels of pain and relaxation for four burn care sessions. RIA was conducted twice on 15 patients, whereas dressing changes proceeded as usual in 15 control patients. When asked to recall pain during the dressing changes, patients remembered an experience which was worse in its entirety than the average of spot ratings taken during the burn care procedure. However, self-reported ratings of the sensory and affective components of pain decreased significantly during and after RIA, particularly in patients who became readily absorbed, and relaxation increased during burn care. Anticipatory anxiety decreased before dressing changes in the RIA group, and analgesic intake decreased between treatment sessions. The promising outcome of this study confirms RIA as a viable adjunct to narcotic treatment for pain control during burn care.