Intravenous lidocaine for the treatment of acute pain in the emergency department.
- Author:
Brendan Michael FITZPATRICK
1
;
Michael Eugene MULLINS
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Lidocaine; Analgesia; Pain control
- MeSH: Acute Pain*; Analgesia; Emergencies*; Emergency Service, Hospital*; Heart Arrest; Humans; Lidocaine*; Seizures; Subject Headings
- From: Clinical and Experimental Emergency Medicine 2016;3(2):105-108
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To evaluate intravenous lidocaine’s safety and efficacy as an analgesic agent in the treatment of a variety of painful conditions presenting to the emergency department. METHODS: This case series identified seventeen patients who received lidocaine over a six month period and recorded demographic data, amount of lidocaine administered, the amount of opioid medication administered before and after lidocaine, pre- and post-lidocaine pain scores, and any qualitative descriptors of the patient’s pain recorded in the record. Side effects and adverse events were also recorded. RESULTS: Of the seven patients who had a pre- and post-lidocaine pain score recorded, the mean reduction was 3 points on a 10 point scale. Patients who received lidocaine used less opioid medication. One patient received an improperly high dose of lidocaine and suffered a brief seizure and cardiac arrest, but was quickly resuscitated. CONCLUSION: This series suggests that lidocaine may be a useful adjunct in the treatment of acutely painful conditions in the emergency department.
