Effectiveness of intradermally injected lidocaine hydrochloride as a local anesthetic for intravenous catheter insertion.

Abstract

Abstract Lidocaine does appear to be significantly effective in reducing the pain of venipuncture and does not seem to make venipuncture more difficult. Since the insertion of IV lines is usually not severely painful, the use of lidocaine anesthesia before venipuncture should probably be considered on an individual basis, as with a large-bore IV line, when the patient requests it, or the nurse feels more comfortable using it. Recommendations for further investigation of this problem include the use of a similar design with a larger sample size and testing the effectiveness of benzyl alcohol preserved saline solution for anesthesia during insertion of IV lines.