Abdominal Ice Application After Cesarean Section (ICE-CS)

May 29, 2026 updated by: Seval KILBASANLI, Nigde Omer Halisdemir University

Effect of Intermittent Abdominal Ice Application on Postoperative Pain and Opioid Consumption After Elective Cesarean Section: A Randomized Controlled Study

Cesarean section is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures worldwide, and effective postoperative pain control is important for maternal recovery and patient comfort. This randomized controlled study evaluated whether intermittent abdominal ice application after elective cesarean section could reduce postoperative pain and opioid consumption. Eighty patients undergoing cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia were randomly assigned to receive either intermittent abdominal ice application in addition to standard multimodal analgesia or standard postoperative care alone. Postoperative pain scores, opioid consumption, patient satisfaction, and postoperative recovery outcomes were evaluated during the first 24 postoperative hours.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This prospective randomized controlled study was conducted to evaluate the effects of intermittent abdominal ice application on postoperative pain and opioid consumption after elective cesarean section. Eighty patients undergoing elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either an ice application group or a control group. Patients in the intervention group received intermittent abdominal ice application over the surgical incision area for 20-minute sessions every 2 hours during the first postoperative 12 hours in addition to standard multimodal analgesia. The control group received standard postoperative multimodal analgesia alone.

Postoperative pain intensity was assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) at predefined postoperative time points during the first 24 hours. Secondary outcomes included tramadol consumption, morphine consumption, patient satisfaction, first analgesic request time, total postoperative pain burden assessed using area under the curve (AUC) analysis, and responder analysis. The study was approved by the local ethics committee, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants before enrollment.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
80

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Niğde, Turkey (Türkiye), 51200
        • Nigde Omer Halisdemir University Training and Research Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Women aged 18-45 years American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-II Singleton term pregnancy Elective cesarean section performed under spinal anesthesia Ability to understand and use the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) Written informed consent obtained before participation

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Emergency cesarean section Chronic pain disorders or chronic opioid use Allergy or contraindication to study medications Infection or skin lesion at the ice application site Psychiatric or neurological disorders affecting pain assessment Conversion to general anesthesia Refusal to participate in the study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Ice Group
Participants received intermittent abdominal ice application over the surgical incision area for 20-minute sessions every 2 hours during the first postoperative 12 hours in addition to standard postoperative multimodal analgesia.
Procedure: Abdominal Ice Application
Intermittent abdominal ice application over the surgical incision area for 20-minute sessions every 2 hours during the first postoperative 12 hours.
Other Names:
  • Cryotherapy
  • Cold Gel Pack Application
Active Comparator: Control Group
Participants received standard postoperative multimodal analgesia without abdominal ice application.
Other: Standard Postoperative Care
Standard postoperative multimodal analgesia without abdominal ice application.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postoperative Pain Intensity Assessed Using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)
Time Frame: During the first 24 postoperative hours
Postoperative pain intensity was evaluated using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS; 0-10) at predefined postoperative time points during the first 24 postoperative hours.
During the first 24 postoperative hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postoperative Tramadol Consumption
Time Frame: 24 postoperative hours
Total postoperative tramadol consumption during the first 24 postoperative hours.
24 postoperative hours
Postoperative Morphine Consumption
Time Frame: 24 postoperative hours
Total postoperative morphine consumption during the first 24 postoperative hours.
24 postoperative hours
Patient Satisfaction Scores
Time Frame: 24 postoperative hours
Patient satisfaction with postoperative pain management assessed during the postoperative period.
24 postoperative hours

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Nigde Omer Halisdemir University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 1, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 1, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 1, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 29, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 29, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 29, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • NOHU-CS-ICE-2022
  • 2022/33 (Registry Identifier: Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data underlying the results reported in this study will be available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request following publication.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Upon publication of the study

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

De-identified individual participant data (IPD) and study protocol-related documents will be available to researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal. Access will be granted for academic research purposes only after publication of the study. Requests should be directed to the corresponding author. Data will be shared in a secure electronic format after approval of the proposal and signing of a data-sharing agreement.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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