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Skin Refrigerant to Reduce the Pain Associated With IV Insertion

The Use of a Topical Anesthetic Skin Refrigerant to Reduce the Pain Associated With Intravenous Catheter Insertion, A Double Blinded, Patient/Placebo Controlled, Study

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02499965
Enrollment
38
Registered
2015-07-16
Start date
2015-04-30
Completion date
2015-05-31
Last updated
2015-07-16

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

Conditions

Pain

Keywords

Topical Anesthetic, Ethyl Chloride, Pain Reduction, IV cannulation

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not the pain of IV catheter insertion in the Emergency Department can be reduced significantly with the use of a rapid acting topical anesthetic spray and to determine whether or not healthcare providers who undergo such treatment are likely to endorse its use in their future practice.

Detailed description

We recruited 38 emergency department healthcare providers (doctors, physician assistants, nurses and medics) to receive a total of two separate IV canulations - one in one arm and the other in the other. One IV canulation would be pretreated with Ethyl Chloride topical anesthetic (the study product) and the other would be pre-treated with a placebo (sterile water in an aerosol can). Both the participants and the nurses, PAs and medics who placed the IVs were blinded as to which was the Ethyl Chloride and which was the placebo. After the IVs were placed the participants were asked to rate the pain of IV canulation on a scale of 1 to 10 for each of the pre-treatments, to state which one they believed to be superior in reducing the pain of receiving the IV, to state whether or not they would like the intervention that they rated as superior to be used on themselves and finally how likely they were on a 5 point scale to incorporate the intervention they rated as superior into their future practice.

Interventions

DRUGEthyl Chloride Topical Aerosol Anesthetic

Sprayed on the skin for 5-8 seconds immediately before IV cannulation

Sprayed on the skin for 5-8 seconds immediately before IV cannulation

Sponsors

Brooke Army Medical Center
Lead SponsorFED

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Caregiver)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

1. At least 18 years of age 2. A healthcare worker who routinely orders or places IV catheters. 3. Consents to participate in the study.

Exclusion criteria

1. History of hypersensitivity to Ethyl Chloride. 2. Break, or swollen in the skin at the proposed IV site. 3. Pregnancy or lactating female. 4. Recent tattoo in either of the two proposed anatomical areas for IV cannulation. 5. Skin infection in either of the two proposed anatomical areas for IV cannulation. 6. Missing a contralateral limb to place the second IV. 7. Recent trauma to one of the upper extremities or any neuropathic or radicular condition that could affect the participant's perception of pain in the antecubital fossa of each arm. \-

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Pain1 minuteOrdinal pain scale (1-10)

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Preferred product1 minuteCategorical selection of preferred product for use on self prior to IV placement
Desire to use on self in future1 minuteBinary (yes, no) desire to use on self prior to IV placement in future
Desire to use on patients in future1 minuteBinary (yes, no) desire to use on patients prior to IV placement in future
Likelihood to use on patients in future1 minute5 point likert scale ranging from very unlikely to very likely

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

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