The optimal effective concentration of lidocaine to reduce pain on injection of propofol

Study Objective: To determine the optimal concentration of lidocaine that reduces pain on injection of a propofol-lidocaine mixture. Design: Prospective, randomized, double-blinded, clinical investigation. Setting: Medical center, university teaching hospital. Patients: 240 ASA physical status I and II female outpatients, aged 21 to 65 years, undergoing dilation and curettage with propofol for anesthesia induction. Interventions: Patients were randomized to one of four groups in double-blinded fashion. In Group A (control), patients were given propofol containing normal saline; in Group B, Group C, and Group D, patients received propofol containing 0.05% lidocaine (Group B), propofol containing 0.1% lidocaine (Group C), and propofol containing 0.2% lidocaine (Group D) for induction. Measurements and Main Results: The incidence of pain on injection of propofol was significantly decreased in Group C and Group D (8.3% and 10.0%, respectively) in comparison to the control group (91.7%) (P < 0.001). Although the result in Group B (76.7%) was better than that in the control group, the difference was not statistically significant. No significant difference was seen between Group C and Group D. Conclusions: The optimal effective concentration of lidocaine, which decreased the incidence of pain caused by propofol injection, was 0.1% in the currently studied population. (C) 1999 by Elsevier Science Inc.