The Effect of TENS on Pain, Complications and Comfort in Patients Who Had Prostate Biopsy With Transrectal Ultrasound

Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of malignancy in men. According to GLOBOCAN (Global cancer statistics) 2020 data, the age-standardized incidence rate of prostate cancer varies between 37.5-11.3 per hundred thousand in the world, depending on the development level of the countries, and it is seen to be 42.5 per hundred thousand in our country. It ranks second after lung cancer in terms of incidence in men in our country and in the world.

Prostate cancer screening aims to reduce mortality and morbidity by detecting prostate cancer at an early stage. In the diagnosis of prostate cancer, digital rectal examination (DRE), prostate specific antigen (PSA) value, transrectal ultrasonography (TRUSG) and biopsy are used.

Transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy (TRUSG-PBx) is currently considered the gold standard method in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

In the TRUSG-guided biopsy procedure, patients are placed in the left lateral or lithotomy position, a needle-guided rectal probe is inserted into the anal canal with the help of lubricating gel, and the prostate tissue is monitored under ultrasound guidance and a biopsy is taken. The procedure takes approximately 20-30 minutes, and insertion and removal of the probe into the rectal area takes approximately 10-15 minutes in total.

TRUSG-PBx is a cost-effective, accessible invasive procedure that has undergone significant changes and developments over the years, is well tolerated, has minimally serious, undesirable side effects and complications, can be easily and quickly performed in outpatient conditions. However, although it is a safe method with a low complication rate, each patient must be carefully monitored because it is an invasive procedure. Complications frequently include hematuria, hematospermia, rectal bleeding, dysuria, urinary retention, hematochezia, erectile dysfunction, infection, prostatitis and pain. In most patients who will undergo transrectal biopsy, the possibility of the result being cancer and the psychological discomfort caused by the fact that the procedure will be performed rectally increase the pain.

Although prostate biopsy is thought to be well tolerated by patients, it appears to cause discomfort and pain in 65% to 90% of cases. Failure to recognize and deal with this problem not only affects patients' willingness to undergo the procedure again if necessary, but can also potentially lead to forgoing prostate evaluation or rejection of the procedure for fear of a painful invasive procedure. In addition, the importance of pain control has gradually increased due to prostate biopsy being performed on younger patients, biopsies being taken from more quadrants, and repeated prostate biopsies. Due to severe pain, the rate of tolerance of the procedure by the patient decreases, and this may lead to a decrease in the number of biopsy samples taken from the planned quadrant and a decrease in cancer detection rates. Therefore, it is extremely important to ensure pain control and increase patient tolerance and comfort in TRUSG-PBx.

The pain felt during the biopsy occurs for 2 reasons. The first is pain caused by stretching of the anal sphincter as the transrectal ultrasound probe enters the anus (passing the ultrasound probe through the anus, advancing it into the rectum, and manipulating it within the rectum). Especially before biopsy, periprostatic nerve blockade requires penetration into the rectum with a rectal probe before anesthesia, and this first penetration causes the patients' complaints. The second is the pain felt when the biopsy needle penetrates the prostate capsule and enters the prostatic stroma.

Pharmacological methods such as local anesthetics, peripheral nerve blockade, spinal and intravenous (IV) sedation applications have been used to reduce pain and discomfort, and results have been reported showing that these methods increase pain tolerance in the patient. The increasing use of active surveillance and the acceptance of prostate biopsy for prostate cancer management are very important to relieve or reduce patients' discomfort during biopsy and optimize satisfaction and comfort.

Although TRUSG-PBx is easy to perform and causes very low mortality, there is a need to develop new protocols for analgesia before the procedure to reduce the discomfort and pain that patients may feel.

Nurses should also apply non-pharmacological methods to reduce the consumption of analgesic drugs or increase their effect by providing adequate analgesia. Nurses, who have a key role in the pain management team, should do what is necessary about pain preventive approaches and pain control methods at this stage.

Non-pharmacological methods are important in providing comfort and a feeling of control, improving functionality and quality of life, and reducing pain and anxiety.

TRUSG-PBx is a challenging diagnostic procedural intervention due to pain and fear for patients. For this reason, non-pharmacological methods should be used and pharmacological methods should be integrated into nursing practices in order to tolerate the procedure by patients and ensure effective pain control.

Among the non-pharmacological methods that can be used safely in acute painful interventions, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is an effective electroanalgesia method. This method is a method of applying controlled low-voltage electrical current to the nervous system through electrodes placed on the skin. The pain-relieving effect of TENS is explained in two ways. The first is that TENS stimulates the sensory A fibers with high frequency stimulation, and the impulses of this stimulation cover the path to the brain and close the door to the passage of pain. Secondly, it affects the perception of pain by initiating the release of natural opioids in the body. It is widely used in acute and chronic pain. TENS is an analgesia method requested by the specialist doctor. How TENS will be applied to which patient, its parameters, application area and duration are determined by the doctor, and it requires the cooperation of a nurse trained in TENS (from a physiotherapy or algology specialist in TENS application) and the doctor. Many studies in this field show that TENS reduces pain.

Although there are many evidence-based studies in the literature on pharmacological methods that reduce pain in TRUSG-PBx, the number of studies on non-pharmacological methods is quite limited.

Our clinical examinations show that non-pharmacological methods are used very rarely in TRUSG-PBx, there is no protocol to reduce pain during and after biopsy, and nurses do not apply TENS. Additionally, no studies have been found in the literature regarding the effect of TENS application on pain, complications and comfort during and after TRUSG-PBx. This study will guide nurses in using and developing non-pharmacological methods in clinics, choosing the appropriate ones for patients with their positive and negative aspects, evaluating their effectiveness, contributing to the professional and independent roles of the nursing profession, increasing the quality of care and providing comfort and satisfaction, thereby increasing the feeling of professional satisfaction. It is thought that it will increase. In addition, it will contribute to the effective application of TENS, which is a simple, cheap and effective method that nurses, who are responsible for patient follow-up and treatment, provide direction and provide uninterrupted health services, have the authority to apply together with the physician, and will guide the development of non-pharmacological analgesia applications. It is thought that nonpharmacological methods will improve patient outcomes in the control of procedural pain resulting from diagnostic interventions.

Purpose of the research:

This study was conducted to determine the effect of TENS on pain, comfort level and complications in patients who underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy.