Effects of Topical Anesthetic Cream on Pain at Venipuncture in Children.

Abstract

Purpose: This study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of EMLA cream on pain related to venipuncture among children. Methods: In this study, 48 children were evaluated using a sequential measurement for level of pain by Skin Conductance Level (SCL) based on Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), heart rate, and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at four times. Results: The maximum and mean of the SCL were each significantly different between the experimental and control groups and furthermore, the two were also significantly different among observed times. In addition there was a significant interaction between group and time. The children's perceived pain using VAS was not significantly different between the experimental and control groups. There was no significant difference in the heart rate between the experimental and control groups; however, the interaction between group and time was significant. Conclusion: In conclusion, applying topical anesthetic cream to the venipuncture site to reduce pain was effective among the children and therefore it is highly recommended that topical anesthetic cream be applied at the venipuncture site as a nursing intervention to reduce pain when a child has to undergo a venipuncture.

Effects of a Thermoelectric Element Band on Venipuncture-associated Pain and Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…In our study, there was no significant difference in the post-intervention period concerning peripheral oxygen saturation between the four groups, since 10 s was not sufficient for appearance of changes in the peripheral oxygen saturation. In addition, the other physiological response variable, pulse rate, did not show a significant difference, as in a previous study [7,9,30]. These results show that an insignificant physiological response may be insufficient to indicate pain.…”

“…Previous studies have included children vulnerable to pain [6e8], patients undergoing hemodialysis requiring punctures regularly [9e13], and patients with diabetes mellitus who undergo regular insulin therapy [14]. Nursing interventions that have been studied include heat and cold therapy [15,16], topical anesthetic cream [6,7,12], distraction therapy [8], aromatherapy [9], and vibration therapy [17,18], all of which have been reported to be effective in pain relief. However, topical anesthetics and aromatherapy are limited in terms of systemic absorption through the skin and the onset of action.…”