Determining if the Buzzy® Personal Pain Relief Device Reduces Injection Pain of Propofol as Much as Intravenous Lidocaine in Children

September 17, 2026 updated by: Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

A Randomized Comparison of the Buzzy® Personal Pain Relief Device to Intravenous Lidocaine for Controlling Injection Pain During Intravenous Propofol Induction of Anesthesia in Children

Propofol is a drug commonly used for induction of general anesthesia in children as well as adults; however, propofol can cause pain on injection, possibly more frequently in children. One common method of preventing propofol injection pain is the injection of lidocaine just prior to the injection of propofol through an intravenous catheter. This practice is sometimes, but not universally, effective, and involves exposure of patients to an additional drug. Our proposal is to use a non-pharmacologic adjunct in an attempt to attenuate the pain of propofol injection. The Buzzy® personal pain relief device is an FDA-approved product that provides non-pharmacologic relief of pain from minor painful procedures in children. The investigators propose the non-invasive Buzzy® personal pain relief device might prove just as effective at relieving the pain of propofol injection as the injection of intravenous lidocaine just prior to propofol injection. Randomized groups and a blinded observer will be used in this study of 106 children, with one group of patients receiving a current standard of care for reduction of the pain of propofol injection, that is, lidocaine prior to propofol, and one group receiving the placement of the Buzzy® device above the injection site prior to injection of propofol to reduce the pain of propofol injection.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Terminated

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
49

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
        • Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

12 years to 17 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who are in the American Society of Anesthesiologists with physical status classification I to III (meaning healthy patients, patients with mild systemic disease, and patients with serious controlled systemic disease)
  • Between the ages of 12 and 17
  • Presenting from home for procedures including, but not limited to, upper and lower endoscopy, orthopedic surgery, and medical imaging.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients requiring a rapid sequence induction of anesthesia and patients requiring an emergency procedure
  • Patients requiring mask induction for anesthesia

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Buzzy device

Use of the Buzzy device during propofol induction in an attempt to alleviate propofol injection pain
Device: Buzzy device
Other Names:
  • Buzzy personal pain relief device
Active Comparator: Intravenous lidocaine

Use of intravenous lidocaine during propofol induction in an attempt to alleviate propofol injection pain
Drug: Intravenous lidocaine

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Non-inferiority of Buzzy pain relief device as compared to intravenous lidocaine at preventing pain on injection of propofol
Time Frame: Every minute starting 1 minute prior to induction of anesthesia, during induction, and after induction of anesthesia for a total of ten minutes

Two scales will be used by the observer to rate the amount of pain, if any, on propofol injection, the FLACC (face, legs, activity, cry, consolability) Scale and the Cameron Four Point Scale for Pain on Propofol Injection. The FLACC Scale is a 0-10 scale where the observer rates pain based on facial expression, movement of the body and legs, vocalization, and reassurability. The Cameron Scale was developed by researchers to specifically rate the pain of propofol injection for a previous study, and uses the presence or absence of grimace, cry, and withdrawal to rate pain on a 0-3 scale. Both scales are being used because the FLACC Scale was not specifically designed for propofol pain, and has some limitations in its application for this purpose; however, the Cameron Scale is limited by its narrow application of three types of expressions of pain.
Every minute starting 1 minute prior to induction of anesthesia, during induction, and after induction of anesthesia for a total of ten minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Vital Signs
Time Frame: Every minute starting 1 minute prior to induction of anesthesia, during induction, and after induction of anesthesia for a total of ten minutes

The heart rate and blood pressure will be recorded just prior to induction of anesthesia, when 25% of the induction dose of propofol has been given, and every minute after induction of anesthesia for eight minutes. Heart rate and blood pressure variations will serve as a secondary indicator of pain on propofol injection.
Every minute starting 1 minute prior to induction of anesthesia, during induction, and after induction of anesthesia for a total of ten minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 30, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 30, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 28, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 17, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Buzzy for propofol pain relief

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