hot and cold application

1. JYOTI
MSC 1st yr

2. Hot application is the application of a hot agent, warmer than skin either in a moist or
dry from on the surface of the body.
Purpose:-
 To relive pain and congestion,
 To provide warmth,
 To promote suppuration,
 To promote healing,
 To decrease muscle tone
 To soften the exudates.

3. Cold application is the application of a cold agent cooler than skin either in a moist or
dry form, on the surface of the skin.
Purpose
 To reduce pain and body temperature,
 To anaesthetize an area,
 To control hemorrhage,
 To control the growth of bacteria,
 To prevent gangrene,
 To prevent edema and
 To reduce inflammation.

4. Hot and
cold
application
Dry Moist

5. Temperature Fahrenheit
Very Cold
Cold
Cool
Neutral
Warm
Hot
Very Hot.
32 to 55 F
55 to 65 F
65 to 80 F
80 to 92F
92 to 98 F
98 to 104F
104 F

7.  Conduction: Contact
 Convection: movement
 Evaporation: through liquid-gas transfer
 Radiation: electromagnetic waves
 Conversion: transfer from one energy type to another

8.  Peripheral vasodilatation
 Increased capillary permeability
 Increased oxygen consumption
 Increased local metabolism
 Decreased blood viscosity
 Decreased muscle tone
 Increased blood flow
 Increase Lymph flow
 Increase motility of leucocytes

9.  Peripheral Vasoconstriction
 Decreased capillary permeability
 Decreased oxygen consumption
 Decreased local metabolism
 Increased blood viscosity
 Decreased muscle tone
 Decreased blood flow
 Decreased lymph flow
 Decreased motility of leucocytes

10. Fainting attack
Drop in blood pressure
Excessive peripheral vasodilatation
Heat applied on large body area

11. Shivering
Increase of blood pressure
Vasoconstrictions
Excessive cold applications

13.  Body part: Certain areas of the skin have a sensitivity to temperature variations. The
inner aspect of the wrist and forearm, the neck, and the perineal area are
temperature-sensitive, while the back of the hand and the foot are not as sensitive.
 Duration of application: Therapeutic benefits of heat and cold applications are
achieved with short periods of exposure to temperature variations. Tolerance
increases as the length of exposure increases.
 Area of body exposed: The larger the area exposed to heat and cold, the lower the
tolerance to temperature changes.
 Damage to body surface area: Injured skin areas are more sensitive than intact areas
to temperature variations.

14.  Individual tolerance: Tolerance to temperature variations is affected by age and
physical condition. The young and the aged are especially susceptible to heat and
cold.
 Neurosensory impairments may interfere with the reception and perception of stimuli,
increasing the risk of injury.
 Age: Thinner skin layers in children and elderly people increase the risk for burns from
the heat and cold applications.

15.  Water is a good conductor of heat
 Air is a poor conductor of heat
 The flow of heat is from the hotter are to the less hot area
 Prolonged exposure to moisture increases the skin’s susceptibility to maceration and
skin breakdown, reducing the protection of the intact skin.

16.  Moisture left on the skin causes rapid cooling due to evaporation of the moisture
 Presence of steam increases the temperature of the hot application
 Oil acts as insulator and delays the transmission of heat
 Woolen absorb moisture slowly, but hold moisture longer and cool off less quickly than
the cotton materials.
 The temperature tolerance varies with individuals and according to the site and area
covered
 Friction produce heat.

17. Indication of hot application:-
 Decreases pain
 Decreases muscle tone
 Promote healing
 Promotes suppuration
 Relives deep congestion
 Softens the exudates
 Provide warmth
 Stimulates peristalsis

18.  Malignancies
 Impaired kidney, heart & lung functions
 Acutely inflammed areas
 On clients with paralysis
 Open wounds
 Edema associated with venous or lymphatic diseases
 Headache
 Client with metabolic disorders
 Very young & very old client
 Client with very high temperature

19.  Pain
 Burns
 Maceration (with moist heat)
 Redness of the skin
 Edema
 Pallor (secondary effect)
 Hyperthermia

20. Therapeutic Uses Of Local Cold Applications
 Relieves pain
 Prevent gangrene
 Prevent edema & reduce inflammation
 Control hemorrhage
 Control the growth of bacteria
 Reduces the body temperature
 Anaesthetize an area

21.  Client in the state of shock & collapse
 Edema
 Diseases associated with impaired circulation
 Muscle spasm
 Decreased sensation
 Client have shivering or having very low temperature
 Cold hypersensitivity or intolerance
 Raynaud’s Disease

22.  Tissue Death
 Frost Bite
 Nerve damage :- Unwanted vasodilation due to prolonged vasoconstriction, ischemia,
thromboses in smaller vessels.
 Freezing of tissues

23.  Check the order, check armband
 Assess general condition of the patient
Assess the skin area where application going
 Check functioning of equipment
 Reassess patient and response in 15 minutes
 Stop treatment at designated time
 Examine the place where the treatment will occur.
 Record the patient’s response

24.  Do explain to the patient sensations to be felt during the procedure
 Do instruct the patient to report changes in sensation or discomfort immediately
 Do provide a timer, clock, or watch so that the patient can help the nurse time the
application
 Do keep the call light within the patients reach
 Do refer to the hospital’s policy and procedure manual for safe temperatures

25.  Do not allow the patient to adjust the temperature
 Do not allow the patient to move an application
 Do not place the patient in a position that prevents movement away from the
temperature source
 Do not leave unattended a patient who is neurological impaired.