Local anesthesia for vein cannulation: a comparison of two solutions

This randomized, double-blinded study prospectively compared two solutions for their anesthetic effect during initiation of peripheral intravenous catheters. Each subject received an intradermal injection of one solution at the intended venipuncture site immediately before vein cannulation. After catheter placement, the subjects rated their discomfort associated with this procedure using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale. Of the 47 subjects included in this study, 21 received lidocaine hydrochloride 1% with sodium bicarbonate and 26 received sodium chloride 0.9% with benzyl alcohol. No statistically significant difference in pain scores was found between the two groups (P =.429).