Topical ketamine as a local anesthetic agent in reducing venipuncture pain: A randomized controlled trial.

Aim: Pain control is an important aspect of ED patient management, and there are many different protocols used around the world influenced by both availability of local resources as well as staff competency and experience. This study aims to evaluate the use of topical ketamine in acute pain reduction by directly comparing it to lidocaine-prilocaine (EMLA) cream.

Materials And Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 300 adult patients classified as level 4 or 5 by ESI triage system were enrolled.