• Maryam Khooshideh, Seyedeh Sakineh Latifi Rostami, and Mahdi Sheikh.
• Departments of *Obstetrics and Gynecology, Arash Women's Hospital §Anesthesiology, Roozbeh Hospital †Maternal, Fetal and Neonatal Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences ‡Department of Physiology, Applied Physiology Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
• Clin J Pain. 2017 Feb 1; 33 (2): 142-147.

ObjectivesTo evaluate the efficacy of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) in relation to reducing postoperative pain, analgesic use, and wound healing in patients undergoing Cesarean section (C-section).MethodsThis randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated 72 women who underwent elective C-section. Thirty-six patients were assigned to the active-PEMF and 36 to the sham-PEMF groups. The participants were asked to report their pain intensity on a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours and 2, 4, and 7 days after surgery. The amount of analgesics used was recorded. The surgical site was evaluated to assess the wound-healing process on the seventh postoperative day.ResultsPostoperative pain VAS scores were significantly lower in the active-PEMF group in all the measured periods within the early and the late postoperative periods. Fewer women in the active-PEMF group experienced severe postoperative pain within 24 hours postoperatively (36% vs. 72%, P=0.002). Analgesic use during the first 24 hours after C-section was 1.9-times lower in the active-PEMF group (1.6±0.7 vs. 3.1±1.2, P<0.001). The total analgesic use during the seventh postoperative days was 2.1-times lower in the active-PEMF group than in the sham group (1.7±0.7 vs. 3.7±1.1, P<0.001). Seven days postoperatively, patients in the active-PEMF group had better wound healing with no exudate, erythema, or edema (P=0.02).ConclusionsPEMF treatment after C-section decreases postsurgical pain, analgesic use, and surgical wound exudate and edema significantly, and is associated with a high level of patient satisfaction.

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