Objective: Postoperative pain is a common problem in male circumcision. We investigated the effect of nanometer silver dressing (Shenzhen AGT Pharm. Co. Ltd.) in relieving pain following male circumcision.
Methods: Sixty patients undergoing circumcision in the outpatient department were randomized into an experimental and a control group, the incision covered with nanometer silver dressing in the former and with vaseline dressing in the latter. None of the patients received any analgesics or other pain-killing therapies after surgery. The postoperative pain intensity was accessed using the modified numeric pain intensity assessment scale at 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 days after the operation, and statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 12.0 software.
Results: The patients averaged (31.13 +/- 13.94) years in age, and had no significant differences in age and body mass index (BMI) between the two groups. At 1, 2, 3 and 5 days, postoperative pain intensity was significantly lower in the experimental than in the control group (P > 0.05). Multiple regression analysis revealed that postoperative pain score was not correlated with patients' age, BMI and types of disease, but with the types of dressing.
Conclusion: Nanometer silver dressing can significantly alleviate postoperative pain of circumcision, and is particularly applicable to such moist parts as the perineum, genitals, and urethra.