Subcutaneous versus intracutaneous injections of sterile water for labour analgesia: a comparison of perceived pain during administration

Objective To investigate whether during injections of sterile water, there is any difference in perceived pain between intracutaneous and subcutaneous injections. Design Blind controlled trial with cross-over design. Setting Goteborg and Skovde, Sweden. Participants One hundred healthy female volunteers. Methods The women were randomised into two groups and subjected to two tria ls, within one week of each other. During the first trial one group (n = 50 ) received the intracutaneous injection first, followed by the subcutaneous injection. The second group (il = 50) was given the subcutaneous injection first, followed by intracutaneous injection. In both groups all the inject ions were given in reverse order during the second trial. Main outcome measures Experienced pain during the administration of sterile water injections, measured by visual analogue scale. Results The analysis showed intracutaneous injections to be significantly m ore painful than subcutaneous injections, even after adjusting for injectio n day and for left/right site of injection (mean 60.8 vs 41.3, P < 0.001). Conclusions The findings suggest that the less painful subcutaneous injecti on technique should be used.