title: Buffered lidocaine decreases the pain of digital anesthesia in the foot.
abstract: The pain associated with injections for inducing digital anesthesia can be decreased by adding sodium bicarbonate to plain lidocaine. A randomized, double-blind study has demonstrated that 24 out of 30 participants indicated on a visual analogue scale that buffered lidocaine is less painful than plain lidocaine. The pain decreased by 50% or more for almost half of the participants. Practitioners can easily buffer lidocaine in the office by adding a small volume of sodium bicarbonate to plain lidocaine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, New York College of Podiatric Medicine, New York, USA.
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Jules
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Springer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jennings
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000772:Anesthesia, Local; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008012:Lidocaine; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000187:drug effects*; D017693:Sodium Bicarbonate; D014034:Toes / Q000294:innervation*
chemical_list: D017693:Sodium Bicarbonate; D008012:Lidocaine