Clinical study of a lignocaine-prilocaine cream to relieve the pain of venepuncture.

The efficacy of a topical anaesthetic formulation, EMLA 5% cream (Eutectic Mixture of Local Anaesthetics) in obtunding the pain produced by venepuncture, was determined in a double-blind randomized, cross-over study in 31 adult volunteers. Pain was registered on a 10-cm visual analogue scale. In each subject the mean pain score after treatment with EMLA was compared with that following placebo. Twenty-eight subjects had lower pain scores with EMLA, and in the remaining three subjects EMLA and placebo were equi-effective. Transient skin reactions (blanching, erythema and oedema) were observed with both formulations. These reactions were not found to be aggravated by repeated applications.