Rapid skin anaesthesia using high velocity lignocaine particles: a prospective placebo controlled trial

Local anaesthetic creams (EMLA and Ametop) are used widely to provide pain free intravenous cannulation. However, they take a minimum of 45 minutes to become effective.

To evaluate a prototype device, dermal Powderject lidocaine (DPL), that delivers high velocity lignocaine particles into the skin.

A total of 132 children (aged 4-12 years) were randomised to receive either a sham delivery or a delivery of DPL on the skin at the antecubital fossa, or back of hand. Pain of intravenous cannulation was assessed four minutes later using self reporting behaviours and blinded observation with standard pain assessment tools. The trial was designed to measure both efficacy of skin anaesthesia and potential skin damage with increasing driving pressure of the device (30 or 40 bar), and different lignocaine particle sizes (<38 micrometer or 38-53 micrometer) in a block randomised fashion.

A total of 128 patients were evaluable. There was a trend towards improved anaesthesia at higher device pressures at the antecubital fossa with both self reporting and blinded observation. Acceptable analgesia was achieved in 90% of patients for high pressure at both particle sizes compared to 60% and 40% for the sham device using self reporting measures. The observed differences using the blinded observer were similar: 90% v 20% (40 bar and small particles v sham), and 80% v 40% (40 bar and large particles v sham). At the back of hand the differences between active and sham devices were not significant. The device was well tolerated and not associated with pain on deployment. One patient had mild petechiae and oedema after deployment (Draize score of 3).

This prototype device appears to provide significant skin anaesthesia at the antecubital fossa, but not at the back of hand. The device is not painful to use and causes only minor short term skin changes.