Optimizing Analgesic Use During Infant Lumbar Puncture in the Emergency Department

INTRODUCTION: Lumbar puncture (LP) for the collection of cerebrospinal fluid is an important diagnostic tool for the evaluation of febrile or ill-appearing infants. This invasive procedure is painful for patients; inadequate analgesia may have lasting effects. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends analgesia during all LP procedures, and oral sucrose alone does not offer sufficient analgesia. Our objective was to identify analgesic use trends during infant LP in our emergency department and create a system of analgesic administration. We aimed for complete compliance with one method of analgesia and an increase in our use of 2 or more methods to 85% over 12 months. METHODS: We utilized Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle methodology and retrospective chart review. Five interventions focused on staff communication, collaboration, and education. Inclusion criteria: infants <60 days who underwent LP procedure due to fever >38°C, hypothermia <36.5°C of unknown origin, or ill-appearance. RESULTS: One hundred infant LPs analyzed: 52 preintervention and 48 intervention. The use of one analgesic increased from 98% preintervention to 100%. The use of 2 or more analgesics increased from 58% preintervention to 87%. Topical lidocaine use increased from 56% preintervention to 73%. LP success rates were high in both groups, with no statistically significant change in the success rate. CONCLUSION: We created a streamlined process to ensure all infants undergoing lumbar puncture received at least 1 analgesic and increased the proportion of infants treated with 2 or more analgesics. This work could be expanded to improve analgesia during other invasive procedures in the emergency department.