Vibrating, Cold Device for Pediatric Intravenous (IV) Cannulation Pain Relief

Intravenous (IV) cannulation is a significant source of pediatric pain and distress. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that pain from IV cannulation is a significant source of pediatric pain and distress with effects far more reaching than the presenting event. When describing worse pain experiences in hospitalized children, IV cannulation pain was found to be second only to pain related to the subject's underlying disease. Practitioners recognize the need to mitigate or decrease pediatric IV cannulation pain and distress in emergency department patients, yet often do not provide the relief measures that are available. The use of topical lidocaine cream has some barriers, including the need to predict the need for the IV, the 30 minute administration time, difficulty in applying and maintaining the cream, the need for a physician's order and nursing to override in the Pyxis machine in order to obtain the medication in a timely manner. Buzzy® provides a potential alternative to treating pediatric IV cannulation pain in the emergency department (ED), as cold and vibration are quick-acting options for pain relief. If Buzzy® is demonstrated to be as effective or more effective for reducing the pain of IV cannulation it would be an inexpensive and rapid way to provide pain control in accordance to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and American Pain Society recommendations. The device's actions are based on the Gate Control Theory, whereby cold and vibratory stimulation stimulate large fiber and inhibitory neurons to interrupt nociception. The benefits of Buzzy® include a low cost of $34.99 per reusable device, which could also provide a significant cost savings over the use of single tubes of topical lidocaine cream at a cost of $4.62-12.00 per tube with one or more tubes needed for each patient. Buzzy® does not require a medical order, but must be cleaned according to institution standards and is supplied with either a reusable cold pack or single use cold packs as desired. The commonly voiced concern related to the application of cold causing vasoconstriction has not been borne out in prior studies of Buzzy®. Self-report of pain is the gold standard in evaluating pediatric pain. For this study we will use the Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R) for rating self-reported pain in children ages 4-18 years. The FPS-R has been validated and frequently used in pediatric pain studies. The FPS-R consists of 6 cartoon faces that range from a neutral expression ("no pain") to one of very much pain. Using the same faces, children will be asked how much the procedure "hurt" from "no hurt" to "very much hurt". Self-reporting of pain is the primary source of data and a secondary measure of data will be an observational pain scale, the face, legs, activity, cry, consolability (FLACC) scale. Because anxiety has proven to affect pain ratings, we will also evaluate anxiety using "Child Rating of Anxiety Scale", a visual semantic scale in the form of a thermometer for rating anxiety. All subjects in this study will develop and implement a coping plan with a Child Life Specialist, including preparation, distraction, and deep breathing. This is standard of care in our ED and applied whenever possible for IV placement procedures. Child Life Specialists prepare subjects and families prior to medical procedures to decrease anxiety and increase understanding. Psychological preparation is aimed to increase a subject and family's control over a situation or procedure. While decreasing anxiety and increasing control, the child can move past the event with a sense of mastery and a low level of distress. Preparation close to the event is important for younger subjects, whereas preparation for older subjects is more beneficial when initiated earlier. The effectiveness of distraction in needle related procedures is well documented in the literature. Distraction involves a supportive care giver (if present) as well as a Certified Child Life Specialist; all attempts are made to focus of child away from the pain of the procedure and when possible the child is permitted to hold the objects and manipulate them prior to the procedure to enhance the utilization of a coping plan.