Empathy Through Pain Control: Buffered Compared to Unbuffered 1% Lidocaine During IUD Placement
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Buffered Lidocaine, Lidocaine 1% Injectable Solution.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Contraception, Pain, Acute, Anesthesia, Local. Basic parameters: 18 years — 50 years · Female.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Overview
The goal of this research study is to learn more about how different uses of a numbing medication might affect pain levels while getting an IUD placed. The investigators are also studying patients' opinions of their clinicians' empathy. The investigators are inviting patients who have never given birth who arrive at their clinic visit seeking an IUD. Usually, at University of California, San Diego (UCSD), for patients who have never delivered, clinicians numb both the sides of the cervix with a lidocaine-based paracervical block. The purpose of this research study is to compare perceptions of pain between buffered (2 cc of sodium bicarbonate, 18 cc of 1% lidocaine) vs. unbuffered paracervical block (20 cc 1% lidocaine) during IUD placement for nulliparous women.
Detailed description
Lidocaine is a drug that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Sodium bicarbonate is an additive that buffers the acidity of lidocaine. The combination of the two is safe and effective as a paracervical block for pain relief in various OBGYN procedures. At UCSD and other places, it is currently standard practice for people with no prior deliveries to receive a buffered lidocaine paracervical block prior to IUD placement.
Participants who take part in this study, will be randomly assigned to receive an injection of buffered lidocaine OR an injection of unbuffered lidocaine to numb the area before IUD placement.
Throughout the local anesthetic and intrauterine device (IUD) placement procedure, research team members will question participants about their pain levels, their satisfaction with the procedure, and how much empathy they feel the clinician has shown.
Interventions
- Drug Buffered Lidocaine
To determine if a 20 cc buffered (2 cc of sodium bicarbonate, 18 cc of 1% lidocaine) lidocaine paracervical block decreases pain with IUD placement in nulliparous women - Drug Lidocaine 1% Injectable Solution
To determine if the unbuffered 1% lidocaine paracervical block offers any less pain control with IUD placement for nulliparous women
Primary outcome measures
- Pain scores during IUD placement procedure [Time frame: From speculum placement to 5 minutes post-procedure]
Secondary outcome measures (1)
- Patient perceptions of clinician empathy [Time frame: From pre-procedure baseline to 5 minutes post-procedure]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Ability to provide informed consent
- Women IUD placement for contraception or heavy menstrual bleeding
- Ages 18-50
- English-speaking
- Participants must not have a past medical history of substance use disorders, pain disorders, use of prescription pain medications or are found to be pregnant
- Nulliparous (never given birth)
Exclusion criteria
- History of ever giving birth
- Current use of prescription pain medication prior to procedure. Over-the-counter medications such as those containing ibuprofen, aspirin, acetaminophen, or naproxen are allowed.
- Diagnosed chronic pain condition
- Current pregnancy
- Known allergic reactions to components of the local anesthetic
- History of an IUD placement
- Current substance use or history of substance use
- Known contraindications to IUD, such as unexplained vaginal bleeding
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
Publications
- Chin J, Kaneshiro B, Elia J, Raidoo S, Savala M, Soon R. Buffered lidocaine for paracervical blocks in first-trimester abortions: a randomized controlled trial. Contracept X. 2020 Oct 18;2:100044. doi: 10.1016/j.conx.2020.100044. eCollection 2020. PMID 33196038
- Azizkhani R, Forghani M, Maghami-Mehr A, Masomi B. The effects of injections of warmed bicarbonate-buffered Lidocaine as a painkiller for patients with trauma. J Inj Violence Res. 2015 Jul;7(2):87-8. doi: 10.5249/jivr.v7i2.523. Epub 2013 Dec 12. No abstract available. PMID 24879075
- Mody SK, Farala JP, Jimenez B, Nishikawa M, Ngo LL. Paracervical Block for Intrauterine Device Placement Among Nulliparous Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2018 Sep;132(3):575-582. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000002790. PMID 30095776
- Welch MN, Czyz CN, Kalwerisky K, Holck DE, Mihora LD. Double-blind, bilateral pain comparison with simultaneous injection of 2% lidocaine versus buffered 2% lidocaine for periocular anesthesia. Ophthalmology. 2012 Oct;119(10):2048-52. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2012.05.029. Epub 2012 Jul 6. PMID 22771049
- Narvaez J, Wessels I, Bacon G, Chin VR, Baqai WK, Zimmerman GJ. Prospective randomized evaluation of short-term complications when using buffered or unbuffered lidocaine 1% with epinephrine for blepharoplasty surgery. Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 2010 Jan-Feb;26(1):33-5. doi: 10.1097/IOP.0b013e3181b80c13. PMID 20090482
- Hobeich P, Simon S, Schneiderman E, He J. A prospective, randomized, double-blind comparison of the injection pain and anesthetic onset of 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine buffered with 5% and 10% sodium bicarbonate in maxillary infiltrations. J Endod. 2013 May;39(5):597-9. doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2013.01.008. Epub 2013 Mar 20. PMID 23611375
- Harreld TK, Fowler S, Drum M, Reader A, Nusstein J, Beck M. Efficacy of a Buffered 4% Lidocaine Formulation for Incision and Drainage: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-blind Study. J Endod. 2015 Oct;41(10):1583-8. doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2015.06.017. Epub 2015 Aug 4. PMID 26253800
- Maguire K, Davis A, Rosario Tejeda L, Westhoff C. Intracervical lidocaine gel for intrauterine device insertion: a randomized controlled trial. Contraception. 2012 Sep;86(3):214-9. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2012.01.005. Epub 2012 Feb 9. PMID 22325115
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06974019 · 812547