Weighted Blankets for Pain and Anxiety Relief in Acutely Injured Trauma Patients

• Published in: Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy 2024-09, Vol.38 (3), p.244-10
• Main Authors: Warner, Shelley M, Tannenbaum, Stacey L, Pathan, Sohni, Lozada, Jose S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute Pain - drug therapy; Adult; Aged; Alprazolam - therapeutic use; Analgesics, Opioid - administration & dosage; Analgesics, Opioid - therapeutic use; Anxiety; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pain Management - methods; Prospective Studies; Retrospective Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Trauma Centers; Wounds and Injuries - complications; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1536-0288; 1536-0539; 1536-0539
• DOI: 10.1080/15360288.2023.2174634

To determine the impact of a weighted blanket on acute pain and anxiety in trauma patients, a preliminary prospective/retrospective study at a level-one trauma center (n = 24 patients) was conducted. In this study, 12 patients using weighted blankets for five consecutive days were compared to a matched retrospective cohort of 12 patients not using a blanket. The change in morphine milligram equivalents (MME) and alprazolam milligram equivalents (AME) over five days were compared. There was a significant difference of MME per day between the intervention group (mean MME change = -22.9) and matched controls (mean MME change = 6.2;  = 0.0072) by blanket use. Total MMEs in the intervention group decreased by 275.5 and in the control group increased by 75 between day 1 and day 5. There was no significant difference in AME change between groups (  = 0.3227). The majority of patients who took a post-intervention questionnaire reported less pain and less anxiety with blanket use compared to those without blanket use (78% and 56% of patients, respectively). To summarize, trauma patients in acute pain had less opioid use and reported less pain and anxiety when using a weighted blanket for five consecutive days compared to a control group who did not use a blanket.