Intradermal bacteriostatic 0.9% sodium chloride containing the preservative benzyl alcohol compared with intradermal lidocaine hydrochloride 1% for attenuation of intravenous cannulation pain.

This study compared the efficacy of a common medication diluent, bacteriostatic 0.9% sodium chloride containing the preservative benzyl alcohol with lidocaine hydrochloride 1% as an intradermal pretreatment for the relief of pain associated with intravenous cannulation. Forty adult presurgical patients requiring two large bore intravenous catheters were used. They served as their own controls. The inner aspect of one forearm received the usual pretreatment, lidocaine hydrochloride 1%, and the inner aspect of the opposite arm received intradermal pretreatment with bacteriostatic 0.9% sodium chloride with the preservative benzyl alcohol. Intravenous cannulation was accomplished on the first attempt, and pain reported with cannulation was rated using a visual analogue scale (VAS). A paired t test was used to compare differences in VAS scores with the pretreatment bacteriostatic 0.9% sodium chloride containing the preservative benzyl alcohol with the pretreatment lidocaine hydrochloride 1%. Analysis of the data revealed no significant difference in the report of perceived pain of intravenous cannulation based on the intradermal pretreatment. These findings suggest that intradermal bacteriostatic 0.9% sodium chloride containing the preservative benzyl alcohol is as effective as intradermal lidocaine hydrochloride 1% in the attenuation of intravenous cannulation pain.