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Lidocaine Serum Levels in Healthy Adult Volunteers: a Pilot Evaluation of the J-Tip Delivery System

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01674075
Enrollment
10
Registered
2012-08-28
Start date
2012-09-30
Completion date
Unknown
Last updated
2013-07-11

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Healthy

Keywords

safety, J-Tip Delivery System, pharmacokinetic profile

Brief summary

The J-Tip device (National Medical Products, Irvine, CA, USA) is a single-use, needle-free anesthesia delivery system, approximately 10cm long and weighing 9g that allow for the rapid delivery of lidocaine hydrochloride prior to peripheral venous access procedures. First introduced in 2001, it uses compressed carbon dioxide for drug delivery into the subcutaneous space. J-Tip is now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for both children and adults. Designed for patients with needle anxiety and phobia, several clinical trials (Hollingsworth et al, 2000; Cooper JA et al, 2000) have shown the device to be effective with no significant untoward effects, including in children as young as 3 years old (Zempsky et al, 2008). However, two recent cases of toxic serum lidocaine levels in pediatric patients at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) following the use of the J-Tip device is concerning. Both patients were administered local anesthetic using the J-Tip device prior to needle-stick and toxicity screens returned with high levels of lidocaine (\>6000 mcg/L). Currently, there is a limited amount of literature available on the safety profile of the J-Tip Delivery System and no study to date has evaluated serum lidocaine levels following its use, likely on the assumption that systemic absorption from the small amount of lidocaine within the device should be negligible. The two pediatric cases highlighted above, seem to suggest otherwise. The purpose of this pilot study is to assess the safety of the J-Tip device on a small population of healthy adults and to determine if elevated lidocaine levels are present systemically or locally. The primary outcome will be lidocaine serum levels following the administration of the J-Tip device measured at the local site and two distal sites to establish lidocaine serum levels following J-Tip administration. We expect lidocaine levels to be undetectable.

Interventions

None listed

Sponsors

Massachusetts General Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
CASE_ONLY
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 59 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

- 1. Adults (18-59 years old) without known medical illness 2. Subject has capacity to provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

- 1. Individuals who have recently received caine (dental procedures, topical (orajel) or hydrocortisone/lidocaine cream) will be excluded from the study 2. History of liver or kidney problems 3. Individuals receiving chemotherapeutic agents 4. Individuals with the PORT-A-CATH® Implantable Vascular Access System

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Serum lidocaine concentrations1 hour post J-Tip administrationTo evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of the J-Tip Delivery system by measuring serum lidocaine concentrations in healthy adult volunteers.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026