Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 19, 2026

Electrophysiological Methods to Assess Peripheral Pain Block in an Anesthetized Rat
Published on: November 21, 2025
Pain and efficacy of local anesthetics for central venous access
William C Culp1, Mohammed Yousaf, Benjamin Lowry
1Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology, Scott and White Hospital, The Texas A&M University College of Medicine, Temple, TX, USA.
Purpose:
To compare pain during injection and efficacy of analgesia of local anesthetics during central venous line placement.
Methods:
Sixty-two patients were studied in a randomized, double-blinded prospective fashion. Patients received 1% lidocaine (L), buffered 1% lidocaine (LB), or 2% chloroprocaine (CP) injected around the internal jugular vein for procedural analgesia for central venous access. Patients reported pain via a standard linear visual analog scale, with 0 representing no pain and 10 being the worst pain imaginable.
Results:
Overall patient perception of pain was better with CP and L than LB with mean scores of CP 2.4, L 2.6, LB 4.2. Pain with injection mean scores were CP 2.1, L 2.5, LB 3.2. Pain with catheter placement scores were CP 2.5, L 1.7, LB 3.4. Operator assessment of overall pain values were CP 1.9, L 2.2, LB 3.4. LB consistently scored the worst, though compared with CP, this only reached statistical significance in overall patient pain and pain at catheter insertion compared with L.
Conclusion:
Though chloroprocaine scored better than lidocaine in 3 of 4 parameters, this trend did not achieve statistical significance. Adding sodium bicarbonate to lidocaine isn't justified in routine practice, nor is routine replacement of lidocaine with chloroprocaine.
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