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Improving Patient Comfort of Vibratory Anesthetic Devices With a Dampener: A Pilot Study
Arya Patel1, Caroline M Wilkowski2, Neha Gupta3
1Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
Background:
Vibratory anesthetic devices (VADs) reduce dermatologic injection pain, but their vibration can feel harsh at sensitive anatomical sites. Simple modifications improving patient comfort may enhance VAD adoption.
Objective:
The authors evaluated whether dampening VAD vibration with a cotton buffer improves patient comfort and characterized tactile features influencing preferences.
Materials And Methods:
In a single-site, participant-blinded pilot study (N = 53), adults received a dampened VAD (D-VAD) and standard VAD (S-VAD) at 5 sites-lateral nasal wall, submalar cheek, ear helix, lateral neck, and dorsal forearm-in randomized, contralateral application. Site-specific preference was analyzed with binomial and Cochran Q tests; demographic associations with univariate analyses. Word2vec and hierarchical clustering analyzed qualitative reasons behind patient preference.
Results:
D-VAD was preferred at all sites across demographics-lateral nasal wall (88.7%), submalar cheek (84.9%), ear helix (88.7%), lateral neck (77.4%), and dorsal forearm (75.5%) (all p < .001), with strongest preference at face and head/neck (p = .018). Computational semantics analysis of qualitative responses identified 6 themes driving preference: Smoothness, Gentleness, Controlled, Low Frequency, Low Intensity, and Less Bothersome.
Conclusion:
Dampening VAD vibration with a cotton buffer enhances comfort across sensitive sites, with reduced harshness and smoother sensation underlying preference. This simple modification may improve patient experience, encouraging broader VAD adoption.
