The purpose of this study was to investigate the pain intensity and duration, and to assess the pain control intervention, in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
Methods: Ninety-seven patients (18 diabetics and 79 non-diabetics) admitted to the hospital with chest pain were included in this study. Pain was measured on the numerical rating scale (NRS) 0-10, where 0 means no pain and 10 unbearable pain. All patients were followed for 12 hours, after the last chest pain episode. The data were statistically evaluated with the Student's t-test and chi square (chi 2).
Results: The pain in AMI patients with diabetes mellitus was lower in intensity (P < 0.002) and shorter in duration (P < 0.000) respectively, compared with the non-diabetic AMI patients. The intensity of pain in patients with an anterior infarction tended to be higher (P < 0.03) than in those with an inferior infarction. Finally, the systolic blood pressure fell significantly (P < 0.000) 90 min after admission. No other significant differences were found.