ABSTRACT
Background: Pain associated with venepuncture has long been accepted as an unavoidable consequence. Many studies show reducing pain during venepuncture after application of prilocaine/lignocaine, but there are few studies that has depicted, the depth of anesthesia produced by prilocaine/lignocaine tends to be too superficial for the reducing the pain during venepuncture. These two scenarios were debatable. Therefore, authors planned a study to assess anesthetic potential of lidocaine /prilocaine cream versus placebo before venepuncture with help of VAS in an adult patient who were drawn blood sample for investigation purposes.Methods: Prospective interventional study. All adult patient for blood sampling from surgery OPD to central laboratory were included in study. Site of venepuncture selected in both control and study group was left cubital fossa. 30 patients selected in study group received lignocaine/prilocaine locally, 30min prior to venepuncture which was later covered with occlusive tape, whereas 30 control group patient received normal saline locally as placebo. The extent of pain was assessed by patient on 10cm visual analogue scale (VAS) with end points of 0 cm rated as no pain and the points of 10cm as intolerable pain.Results: A total of 60 patient were randomly selected who were referred from surgery OPD for blood sampling. Other 30 patient were applied normal saline as placebo and 30 patient with lignocaine and prilocaine cream. In the control group there were 30 patients (5 female and 25 male). In the study group there were 30 patients (8 females and 22 males). The level of pain among study group is as follows: mild 22, moderate 7, worst 1 and in control group: no pain 0, mild 5, moderate 14 and worst pain 1. Statistical analysis between outcome of two groups done by calculating chi-square test. Chi- square test was 20.0263. P value is 0.000168. Hence the result is significant at p <0.05.Conclusions: The present study shows that prilocaine-lidocaine cream reduces the pain of needle puncture in adults and facilitates the procedure of venous blood sampling.