Conditions: Orofacial Swelling
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 88
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical efficacy of a buffered 4% lidocaine solution for incision and drainage. Ninety patients will be examined clinically to determine a diagnosis of cellulitis or fluctuance. The diagnosis will be confirmed by incision and drainage. Patients will receive either 3.6 ml 4% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine or 3.6 ml 4% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine buffered with 8.4% sodium bicarbonate. Patients will rate pain prior to and throughout the procedure.

Detailed description:
Incision and drainage of swellings is painful and anesthetic failure is common. One reason may be related to the lowered pH of inflamed tissue reducing the amount of the base form of anesthetic. A buffered anesthetic solution may result in more effective anesthesia than a non-buffered solution.

Arms:
arm 1: administration of 4% buffered lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine arm 2: administration of 4% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine

Interventions: intervention 1: 4% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine intervention 2: 4% buffered lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: see arm/group description intervention 2: see arm/group description

Protocol document: