The Pain of Venipuncture

To the Editor: We are three senior medical students who were employed by a community hospital this past summer to start intravenous fluids. A controversy arose over the technic used to introduce an intravenous catheter for intravenous fluids. One side contended that intracutaneous xylocaine at the site of venipuncture decreases the pain. The other claimed that the discomfort of venipuncture, when done properly, is not noticeably different from that of injecting anesthetic. To settle this controversy, a double-blind prospective study was conducted on a single volunteer (N = l). The volunteer was seated at a 45-degree angle and a tourniquet. . . No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.