Padded Dressing with Lidocaine HCL for Reducing Pain during Intravenous Cannulation in Adult Patients: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of administering lidocaine as a local anesthetic at the puncture site prior cannulation on reduction of pain during intravenous cannulation (IVC). METHODS: A total of 77 patients were divided into two groups as the patients who received a local anesthetic prior IVC procedure (n = 40) and the control group (n = 37). Patients' demographic data, including age, gender, height, weight and body mass index, IV gauge, IV site, heart rate (HR), and oxygen saturation (SpO(2)) were recorded and analyzed. Patients in both groups scored the pain they felt during IVC through the visual analog scale (VAS) and the verbal descriptor scale (VDS). RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of the demographic features. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the cannula gauges and site of IVC. The mean post-IVC HR value was statistically significantly higher compared to pre-IVC in the control group (p = 0.032), while no difference was found between the mean pre- and postprocedure HR in the lidocaine group. The mean VAS score was significantly lower in the lidocaine group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of the current VDSs. The rate of the patients reporting mild pain was statistically significantly higher in the lidocaine group compared to the control subjects (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, lidocaine HCL-impregnated padded dressing prior IV cannulation significantly reduced pain sensation during IVC.