Needle-Free Delivery of Lidocaine

A needle-free delivery system holds promise as a pain-reducing intervention in children during venous procedures.

Various options are available for local anesthesia prior to venipuncture, but onset of action often is slow. In an industry-supported, multicenter, randomized trial, 579 hospitalized children (age range, 3–18 years) who were undergoing venipuncture or intravenous cannulation received treatment with either a needle-free powder lidocaine delivery system (helium gas releases lidocaine from a cylinder into the epidermis) or a sham–placebo-delivery system 1 to 3 minutes before the procedure.

The success rate of venous procedures on the first attempt was about 96% in both the treatment and sham groups. Mean pain scores immediately after administration, as assessed by patients on a pain-rating scale using facial expressions (0 = no hurt to 5 = hurt…

Reviewing Author

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)