FRIDAY, June 24, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitalization can be a frightening and painful experience for children. But Canadian researchers report one small improvement in care: a new topical anesthetic cream that reduced pain for children during IV insertion while improving procedural success rates.
A team of emergency department doctors at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto focused on children aged 1 month to 17 years who required an IV insertion (a process called cannulation). The young patients received either the new cream called liposomal lidocaine (Maxilene) or a placebo cream rubbed on their skin before the IV was inserted.
IVs were successfully inserted on the first attempt in 74 percent of the children who received the liposomal lidocaine and in 55 percent of the children who received the placebo. The children who received the liposomal lidocaine also reported less pain during IV insertion.
"In this study, we showed that the topical local anesthetic liposomal lidocaine not only decreased pain during IV cannulation, but actually facilitated the procedure," study lead author Dr. Anna Taddio, a hospital scientist and pharmacist, said in a prepared statement.
"Based on these results, we would recommend implementing its use as a routine part of every cannulation procedure. Not only will children benefit from less pain and less procedures, but children, their parents and health-care workers will have less stress during procedures as well," said Taddio, who is also an assistant professor of pharmacy at the University of Toronto.
For this study, Ferndale Laboratories provided the liposomal lidocaine and the placebo cream. Funding for the pharmacy dispensing costs was provided by RGR Pharma, the Canadian distributor of liposomal lidocaine.
The study was published in the June 21 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
More information:
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has information about IV fluids and infants.
