Efficacy of Ice Application After Hand Surgery

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Postoperative care
• Thermoregulation

Background:

• Postoperative ice application is common but lacks robust evidence.
• The exothermic reaction of plaster splints may counteract cooling effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of ice packs in reducing skin temperature under plaster splints after hand and wrist surgery.
• To investigate the impact of early postoperative ice application on skin heat exposure.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, randomized clinical study.
• Inclusion of patients undergoing hand/wrist surgery with volar resting wrist or thumb spica splints.
• Continuous skin temperature monitoring near the incision for 60 minutes with and without ice application.

Main Results:

• Ice application resulted in a mean temperature decrease of 1.19 °C, while the control group showed a 0.987 °C increase.
• The ice group reached baseline temperatures within 40 minutes, unlike the control group.
• Significant reduction in heat capacity (2,030 calories) in the ice group versus an increase (1,520 calories) in the control group.

Conclusions:

• Ice significantly reduces skin temperature under splinted wrists.
• Early postoperative ice application is effective in managing skin temperature after hand and wrist surgery.