The Effect of Vapocoolant Spray on Pain in Adults Undergoing Peripheral Intravenous Line Placement in the Emergency Department: Preliminary Results of a Randomized, Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Abstract

Painful diagnostic or therapeutic procedures including peripheral intravenous line placement are commonly performed in the emergency department (ED). Prior investigation has documented that practitioners frequently provide inadequate anesthesia for patients with painful medical conditions and often fail to use anesthetics before performing painful procedures. Topical anesthetics have been recommended as a method to decrease a patient's procedural pain. This study determines if topical vapocoolant spray is effective and safe in adults undergoing placement of a peripheral intravenous line in the ED