Buffered versus plain lidocaine as a local anesthetic for simple laceration repair.

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Buffered lidocaine was compared with plain lidocaine as a local anesthetic for simple lacerations.

DESIGN

Randomized, double-blind, prospective clinical trial.

SETTING

Urban emergency department.

TYPE OF PARTICIPANTS

Ninety-one adult patients with simple linear lacerations were enrolled. Patients with allergy to lidocaine and patients with an abnormal mental status were excluded.

INTERVENTIONS

Each wound edge was anesthetized with either plain or buffered lidocaine using a randomized, double-blind protocol. The pain of infiltration was measured with a previously validated visual analog pain scale.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Analysis of pooled data and paired data (using patients as their own controls) revealed that infiltrating buffered lidocaine was significantly less painful than plain lidocaine (P = .03 and P = .02, respectively). There was no significant difference in the anesthetic effectiveness of the two agents during suturing.

CONCLUSION

Buffered lidocaine is preferable to plain lidocaine as a local anesthetic agent for the repair of simple lacerations.