Pain Experience Using Lidocaine Adrenaline Tetracaine (LAT) Gel Versus Lidocaine Infiltration for Laceration Repair in Adults
Summary
This prospective comparative study evaluates pain experience in adult patients undergoing laceration repair in the emergency department using either topical lidocaine-adrenaline-tetracaine (LAT) gel or lidocaine infiltration as local anaesthesia. Lidocaine infiltration is the standard anaesthetic technique for wound repair but can cause significant pain during injection. LAT gel is a needle-free topical anaesthetic that is widely used in paediatric patients but has been less studied in adults. Adult patients presenting with simple lacerations requiring suturing are allocated to receive either LAT gel or lidocaine infiltration according to the clinical judgement of the treating physician. Pain is measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS) during anaesthetic administration, during testing of anaesthetic effectiveness, and during suturing. Additional variables include wound characteristics, patient characteristics, and the need for additional anaesthesia. The study aims to evaluate whether LAT gel provides comparable pain control while reducing pain during anaesthetic administration.
Timeline
- Start
- 2021-04-01
- Primary completion
- 2021-05-22
- Completion
- 2021-05-31
Publications
- Background Adler AJ, Dubinisky I, Eisen J. Does the use of topical lidocaine, epinephrine, and tetracaine solution provide sufficient anesthesia for laceration repair? Acad Emerg Med. 1998 Feb;5(2):108-12. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.1998.tb02593.x.
- Background Vandamme E, Lemoyne S, van der Gucht A, de Cock P, van de Voorde P. LAT gel for laceration repair in the emergency department: not only for children? Eur J Emerg Med. 2017 Feb;24(1):55-59. doi: 10.1097/MEJ.0000000000000298.
- Background Ernst AA, Marvez-Valls E, Nick TG, Mills T, Minvielle L, Houry D. Topical lidocaine adrenaline tetracaine (LAT gel) versus injectable buffered lidocaine for local anesthesia in laceration repair. West J Med. 1997 Aug;167(2):79-81.
Drugs
| Evaluation | Drug | Modality | Dose | Route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Epinephrine | Other / unclassified | 0.1 % | Topical |
| Subject | Lidocaine | Other / unclassified | 1 % | Topical |
| Subject | Lidocaine | Other / unclassified | 4 % | Topical |
| Subject | tetracaine | Other / unclassified | 0.5 % | Topical |
Indications
No indication recorded.