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Evaluation of Three Non-invasive Analgesic Techniques in Pain Prevention During Injections

Phase 4
Completed
Conditions
Injection Pain Prevention
Interventions
Combination Product: Injection
Registration Number
NCT03974633
Lead Sponsor
Enrique Salmeron
Brief Summary

Injections are associated to a certain level of pain which tolerance can vary between individuals. As regards non-invasive pain control techniques in subcutaneous injections, scarce literature exists with adequate levels of evidence and design quality to support any specific analgesic method.

In this study, the investigators evaluated the effectivity of three non-invasive analgesic techniques (cold, anesthetic cream and vibration) when performing subcutaneous forehead injections, in a series of 100 healthy volunteers.

Detailed Description

This study is a randomized, controlled, simple-blind clinical trial, and it has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical Research Institute Hospital La Fe. The study included 100 healthy volunteered, and it was performed in the University and Polytechnic Hospital La Fe, Valencia.

The procedures of the study consisted in the sequential performance of four injections of 0,1mL of physiologic saline (0,9%NaCl) in the forehead of each subject, 2cm above the eyebrows, with a 29G needle, after applying any of the non-invasive anesthetic methods studied in the trial, except for the control zone. The anesthetic method utilized in each part of the forehead of each patient was randomized through simple randomization. Injections always started from the right side of the forehead to the left. The non-invasive analgesic methods utilized were:

* Control zone: None

* Vibration: Application of the vibrating device on the skin below the injection site, before and during injection.

* Cold: Application of a bag of 50mL of frozen physiologic saline covered with a plastic glove on the injection site for 50 seconds prior to performing the injection.

* Anesthetic cream: Application of a uniform thickness of 2mm of the anesthetic cream EMLA covered with an adhesive transparent plastic dressing for 30 minutes, before injection.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
100
Inclusion Criteria
  • Every subject who did not meet any of the exclusion criteria, and signed the informed consent, was included in the study
Exclusion Criteria
  • Subjects younger than 18
  • Subjects that suffered from any local or systemic sensitivity alteration
  • Subjects that suffered from any cognitive deficit
  • Individuals allergic to any of the components of the anesthetic ointment EMLA (eutectic mixture of lidocaine 2,5% and prilocaine 2,5%).

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
CROSSOVER
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
ControlInjectionA subcutaneous injection of 0,1mL saline (0,9%NaCl) was administered in a part of the forehead, without administering any type of non-invasive analgesic
VibrationInjectionA subcutaneous injection of 0,1mL saline (0,9%NaCl) was administered in a part of the forehead, while applicating a vibrating device on the skin below the injection site, before and during injection.
ColdInjectionA subcutaneous injection of 0,1mL saline (0,9%NaCl) was administered in a part of the forehead, after applicating a bag of 50mL of frozen physiologic saline covered with a plastic glove on the injection site for 50 seconds
Anesthetic creamInjectionsubcutaneous injection of 0,1mL saline (0,9%NaCl) was administered in a part of the forehead, after applicating a uniform thickness of 2mm of the anesthetic cream EMLA covered with an adhesive transparent plastic dressing for 30 minutes
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Pain referred per each zone injected: VAS1 hour max

Pain measured through a Visual Analogic Scale with values from 0 to 10; being 0 complete absence of pain, and 10 the worst pain ever experienced.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Discomfort associated to non-invasive analgesic techniques1 hour max

Discomfort associated to non-invasive analgesic techniques. Direct question in the survey in which answer options were each one of the non-invasive analgesic techniques (Cold, VIbration, Anesthetic cream)

Preference of non-invasive analgesic technique1 hour max

Preference of non-invasive analgesic technique. Direct question in the survey in which possible answer options were each one of the non-invasive analgesic techniques (Cold, VIbration, Anesthetic cream)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University and Polytechnic Hospital La Fe

🇪🇸

Valencia, Spain

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