RATIONALIZING VENIPUNCTURE PAIN - COMPARISON OF LIGNOCAINE INJECTION,BUTTERFLY (21-GAUGE AND 23-GAUGE) AND VENFLON (20-GAUGE)

Two hundred and seventy-eight patients scheduled for all types of surg ery and premedicated with diazepam and metoclopramide were randomly al located to one of four groups to compare the relative pain of an injec tion of 0.25 ml of lignocaine 1% via a 25 gauge needle with the pain o f the siting of a 21 gauge Butterfly (Abbott) 23 gauge Butterfly or a 20 gauge Venflon (Vigo Spectramed). The injection of lignocaine and in sertion of the 23 gauge Butterfly were associated with the least compl aints of pain and least observed responses to pain. The 21 gauge Butte rfly and 20 gauge Venflon were associated with complaints of greater p ain and more pain responses. We conclude that a pre-cannulation inject ion of lignocaine causes minimal discomfort and is the most appropriat e means of reducing the discomfort of venous cannulation when not usin g skin penetrating analgesic creams.