Bourne CL, Brewer KL, House J. Injectable lidocaine provides similar analgesia compared to transdermal lidocaine/tetracaine patch for the incision and drainage of skin abscesses: a randomized, controlled trial.
J Emerg Med 2014;
47:367-71. [PMID:
24835497 DOI:
10.1016/j.jemermed.2013.11.126]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2013] [Revised: 09/16/2013] [Accepted: 11/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Local anesthesia used for incision and drainage of abscesses is known to be painful.
STUDY OBJECTIVE
We studied the analgesia provided by a lidocaine/tetracaine patch compared to injectable lidocaine during incision and drainage (I&D) of skin abscesses.
METHODS
This was a prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial carried out in the Emergency Department (ED) of an adult tertiary referral center. Adult patients with a skin abscess in need of I&D were randomized to one of two groups. One group received a lidocaine/tetracaine patch and injectable normal saline for anesthesia. The second group received a placebo patch and injectable 1% lidocaine. A visual analog pain scale was used to record the patient's pain level prior to treatment, during the procedure, and after I&D.
RESULTS
There were 20 patients enrolled in the study, including 12 randomized to the lidocaine/tetracaine patch and 8 to the injectable lidocaine. Pain scores preprocedure were similar in the two groups. Pain scores during I&D and postprocedure were compared between groups using a paired t-test. Patients receiving injectable lidocaine experienced pain that was similar (50.1 ± 5.9 mm; 95% confidence interval [CI] 45.2-55.1) to those receiving the transdermal lidocaine/tetracaine patch (60.1 mm ± 11.0; 95% CI = 55.2-68.1), p = 0.04, with a power of 80% to detect a difference of 20 mm at p ≤ 0.05; although this was statistically significant, it was not clinically significant. There was also no statistical difference between the two groups in the postprocedure pain scores (p = 0.65).
CONCLUSION
Local injection of lidocaine provided clinically similar analgesia compared to the lidocaine/tetracaine patch during I&D of skin abscesses in the ED. Pain at presentation and after the procedure was similar in both groups. Emergency physicians should continue to use a local injected anesthetic for I&D of skin abscesses until a less painful alternative is identified.
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