The midterm psychological effect of cast removal procedures in children

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the course of anxiety change in children who used headphones during cast removal with controls in midterm follow-up.

Patients and methods: Sixty-six patients who underwent forearm fracture treatment with closed reduction and long arm casting between June 2021 and March 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups based on the use of headphones (n=27; 21 males, 6 females; mean age: 8.0±1.8 years; range, 6 to 12 years) or not (n=39; 27 males, 12 females; mean age: 8.9±1.8 years; range, 6 to 12 years) during cast removal with an oscillating saw. Primary outcome measures included preprocedure, postprocedure, and six-month anxiety assessments with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.

Results: There was an acute increase in the mean state anxiety scores after the procedure, which returned to below baseline at the six-month follow-up in the headphone (31.4±8.3, 33.3±8.7, and 25.1±4.1, respectively) and control groups (34.9±11.1, 37.4±9.5, and 27.3±5.3, respectively). The mean trait anxiety scores before the procedure, after the procedure, and at six months remained similar in the headphone (33.6±3.0, 34.6±3.2, and 32.4±2.8; p>0.05) and control groups (34.1±2.7, 33.7±3.0, and 33.7±3.0, p>0.05).

Conclusion: This study suggests that the acute anxiety during cast removal did not create anxiety sequelae in the sixth month regardless of headphone use.

Citation: Daşar U, Altun O, Ergişi Y, Arıkan O, Özdemir E. The midterm psychological effect of cast removal procedures in children. Jt Dis Relat Surg 2024;35(2):404-409. doi: 10.52312/ jdrs.2024.1689.

The study protocol was approved by the Karabük University Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee (date: 01.10.2021, no: 2021/661). The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

A written informed consent was obtained from the parent of each patient for participation in the study.

Idea/concept, design, control/ supervision, data processing, literature review, writing of the article, critical review: U.D.; Idea/concept, data collection, literature review, writing of the article: O.A.; Idea/concept, design, literature review, writing of the article, critical review: Y.E.; Idea/concept, design, control/supervision, data processing and analysis, literature review, writing of the article, critical review: E.Ö.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.