Insulin Needles Lessen Pain of Arterial Blood Gas Draws

While venous blood gas analysis has replaced arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis for many illnesses treated in the emergency department, arterial samples are still occasionally needed. Standard arterial blood gas kits typically contain 22- to 25-gauge needles. To assess whether smaller needles might decrease the pain of ABG draws, researchers conducted a randomized, controlled crossover trial in 50 healthy adult volunteers. ABGs were drawn from one arm with a standard 23-gauge needle and from the other arm with a smaller 29-gauge insulin needle in random order about 5 minutes apart.

Mean pain scores on a 100-mm visual analog scale (the primary outcome) were lower with insulin needles than standard needles (23 mm vs. 39 mm; mean difference, 15 …