Cold and vibration may replace numbing cream for Kids' shots
NCT ID NCT03220555
First seen Sep 14, 2026 · Last updated Sep 15, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Shots and blood draws cause pain and anxiety in children, and numbing creams take time to work. Researchers are testing a device that uses cold, vibration, and distraction to block needle pain. The trial compares this device with standard numbing cream in children aged 4 to 15 at vaccination centers. The goal is to see whether the device offers similar pain relief with fewer constraints for families and staff.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a device that combines cold, vibration, and distraction to reduce needle pain
- What this could lead to
- If it works, vaccination centers could offer a needle-free option that eases pain from shots and blood draws without waiting for numbing cream to take effect.
- What could go wrong
- The device may not match the pain relief of numbing cream, and children who fear needles may still feel anxious. Results in a vaccination center may not apply to other medical settings.
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
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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
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220 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2017
- Finished
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Sep 2018
- Lead sponsor
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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
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4 to 15 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: Any child who: * requires a venipuncture or a vaccination in a vaccination center * is 4 to 15 years old * is affiliated to the public social security * speaks French or is assisted by an translator in the language of the child * has given his oral consent and whose parents have given it Exclusion Criteria: Any child who: * suffers from sickle cell anemia * has a contraindication to use lidocaine patch * requires a Bacille de Calmette et Guérin (BCG) vaccine or tuberculin test * takes part in another research * has already participated to this study for another nursing care. * refused to participate or whose parents refused * has neurological or psychiatric disorders * has a nerve damage or an abrasion of the skin in terms of puncture or injection area. * under trusteeship or guardianship (unaccompanied foreign minors).
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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La Roche sur Yon University Hospital
La Roche-sur-Yon, 85925, France
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Le Mans University Hospital
Le Mans, 72037, France
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Nantes University Hospital
Nantes, 44093, France
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