Rapid injection less painful

This is the Medscape Medical Minute. I'm Dr. George Lundberg.

We all know that it hurts to get vaccinated with needle injections. Babies cry. Pediatric researchers in Toronto performed a randomized controlled trial to test whether the usual standard of slow needle insertion, aspiration, slow injection, and slow needle withdrawal or rapid needle insertion, injection, and withdrawal without aspiration hurt more. The substance injected was the usual DPTaP-Hib immunization. They measured whether or not crying occurred, and its duration in 113 healthy 4- to 6-month-old infants. The slow technique resulted in 82% of the infants crying vs 43% in the rapid-technique group; the median duration of crying was 14.7 seconds vs 0. Both parent and pediatrician visual analog scales corresponded to these dramatic differences. There were no adverse effects.

The authors conclude that rapid is better than slow for routine intramuscular injections.

This Medscape Medical Minute article^[1] is selected from Medscape Best Evidence.