Could a simple arm raise replace lidocaine for injection pain?

NCT ID NCT07785674

Symptom relief Sponsor: Mayo Clinic Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Aug 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether briefly raising the arm during a propofol injection can reduce the burning pain some people feel. It compares this technique to the standard lidocaine pretreatment, and to a combination of both. About 45 adults scheduled for propofol anesthesia will participate, and their pain will be measured on a simple scale. The goal is to see if this easy, drug-free method could be a useful alternative or addition to current practice.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Passive arm elevation, lidocaine, and normal saline (as sham)
What this could lead to: If effective, this simple, drug-free technique could offer a low-cost way to reduce injection pain for many patients receiving propofol.
What could go wrong: This is a small pilot study, so results may not be conclusive. The technique may not work for everyone, and lidocaine remains the standard approach.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 45 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Sep 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Feb 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * ASA I-III * 18G or 20G dorsal hand working IV in place (drip by gravity) * Planned IV propofol infusion with natural airway * Able to provide consent * Able to report pain * English-speaking Exclusion Criteria: * Allergy to propofol/lidocaine * Significant cognitive impairment/acute psychosis * Any sedative medications given prior to the study * Pregnancy * Severe upper-extremity mobility limitation that prevents safe arm elevation * Emergency medical condition; (e.g. GI bleeding, sepsis, acute heart or respiratory failure) * Chronic pain syndrome with chronic opioid use * Any acute pain condition that may be distracting to the patient * Any report of pain on gravity drip, injection of saline or spontaneous pain when testing the iv in preop prior to bringing the patient to the OR * Pathology or prior surgery that is deemed to interfere with normal venous drainage of the arm (arterio-venous fistula, history of port or dialysis line, , history of heart failure) * History of past or current cardiac arrhythmias, cardiac valvular abnormalities, /heart failure, stable angina that are expected to require concomitant administration of vasoactive or inotropic medications with induction * TIA or stroke within the last 3 months

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As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Propofol injection pain

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

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A doctor treating you

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Could a simple arm raise replace lidocaine for injection pain?

What the study statuses mean