Effects of using cotton for the splint on the occurrence of hemorrhagic spots under the skin from blood pressure measurement. In cesarean section mothers who

Abstract

     This quasi-experimental research aimed to investigate the effect of cotton for the splint on petechiae from blood pressure monitoring in cesarean section mothers receiving spinal anesthesia. The sample consisted of 108 pregnant women aged 18-40 years with gestational age greater than 37 weeks who underwent cesarean section at Kumphawapi Hospital between April and October 2025. Participants were equally divided into three groups of 36 each: Group 1 used cotton for the splint as arm protection, Group 2 used plastic food wrap as arm protection, and Group 3 served as the control group without any arm protection material. Research instruments included a demographic data recording form, a 5-level petechiae assessment form, a complication recording form, and a satisfaction questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test for group comparisons at a significance level of 0.05.

     The results revealed that at 30 minutes post-operation, the cotton group had the highest proportion of patients without subcutaneous bleeding at 83.3%, followed by the plastic food wrap group at 66.7%, and the control group at 36.1%. The three groups showed statistically significant differences (χ² = 17.535, p < .001). Comparison between the cotton group and the control group revealed highly significant statistical differences (χ² = 14.781, p < .001), with the cotton group showing 2.3 times higher proportion of patients without subcutaneous bleeding. However, at 45 and 60minutes post-operation, no statistically significant differences were found between the cotton group and the control group (p = 1.000 for both time points). At 45 minutes, both groups had equal proportions of patients without bleeding at 13.9%, and at 60 minutes, the control group had slightly higher proportion than the cotton group (63.9% vs 61.1%). This demonstrates that cotton effectiveness is most prominent during the first 30 minutes post-operation, which is the critical period with continuous blood pressure monitoring. Regarding complications, 88.8% of participants experienced no complications. Concerning patient satisfaction, the cotton group demonstrated the highest proportion of very good satisfaction at 50.0%, followed by the plastic food wrap group at 41.7%, and the control group at 30.6%. Healthcare providers showed no difference in satisfaction across all three groups.