Efficacy of Estradiol Cream for Venipuncture Pain in Obese Female Patients: A Pilot Study

Introduction: Venipuncture is often a painful procedure causing significant anxiety, distress, and psychological consequences. We evaluated the efficacy of estradiol cream and compared it with a eutectic mixture of local anesthetics (EMLA) cream for alleviation of venipuncture pain and to make cannulation easy in female obese patients. Materials and methods: The clearance from the Institutional Ethical Committee as well as prior written and informed consent were obtained from the participants. A total of 105 obese female adult patients aged between 25 and 64 years belonging to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I and II with body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m(2) were included in our study. The study participants were randomly allocated into three groups: In group I, a placebo cream was applied; in group II, estradiol cream was applied, and in group III, EMLA cream was applied. Any abnormal sensation at the site of application of the cream was noted and followed up at 0, 2, and 6 hours for the same. The primary outcome was the measurement of the severity of the pain experienced during venipuncture using the visual analog scale (VAS). Ease of cannulation was our secondary outcome. VAS was compared with the Z test. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v16.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago) was used for statistical analysis. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result: The final analysis was carried out on 25 patients in group I, 27 patients in group II, and 33 patients in group III. There was no significant improvement in the ease of cannulation in group II when compared to group I. The mean VAS was similar in group I and group II, whereas it was significantly reduced in group III (p < 0.05). Conclusion: EMLA cream was found to significantly reduce the pain of venipuncture in comparison to placebo and estradiol cream. There is no beneficial effect of estradiol cream in reducing the pain from venipuncture or in ease of cannulation compared to placebo.