Topical anaesthesia for fistula cannulation in haemodialysis patients.

The use of a local anaesthetic cream (EMLA; Astra) for arteriovenous fistula cannulation was compared to placebo in a double-blind randomised manner in 26 patients undergoing chronic haemodialysis who were currently using injections of lignocaine. The EMLA cream was highly effective compared to placebo (P less than 0.001) on visual analogue and verbal rating scales as well as ease of venepuncture (P less than 0.01). It also gave more pain relief and improved the ease of venepuncture compared to lignocaine injections. Patients expressed a strong preference for the EMLA cream, which has advantages that outweigh the cost and convenience factors.