"The combination of compound lidocaine cream with warm compress significantly alleviates procedural pain and enhances patient satisfaction during ultrasound-guided PICC placement in cancer patients, supporting its clinical application" Wang et al (2025).
Pain relief during PICC placement for cancer patients

Abstract:

Background: Ultrasound-guided peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) placement is vital for cancer therapy, but lidocaine infiltration faces limitations like puncture pain and vasospasm.

Aim: To assess the clinical efficacy of a no-pain intervention-combining compound lidocaine cream with warm compress-in reducing pain during ultrasound-guided PICC placement in cancer patients.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study analyzed 88 cancer patients undergoing PICC placement (Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital, 2024). Patients were divided into control (lidocaine infiltration, n = 44) and intervention (cream + warm compress, n = 44) groups. Primary outcomes: Pain scores (numerical rating scale), procedural time, complications; secondary outcome: Satisfaction.

Results: The intervention group showed significantly lower pain scores (1.2 ± 0.4 vs 3.8 ± 1.2, P = 0.012) with comparable first-attempt success (95.5% vs 90.9%) and safety (P = 0.672). Thermal activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 channel enhanced drug penetration, achieving anesthesia within 8-10 minutes. Patient satisfaction reached 97.7%.

Conclusion: The combination of compound lidocaine cream with warm compress significantly alleviates procedural pain and enhances patient satisfaction during ultrasound-guided PICC placement in cancer patients, supporting its clinical application.

Reference:

Wang Y, Yang XN, Ji S, Zhang YM, Wang Y, Wang YM, Gu YX. Compound lidocaine cream with warm compress for pain relief in ultrasound-guided peripherally inserted central catheter placement for cancer patients. World J Clin Oncol. 2025 Jul 24;16(7):108173. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v16.i7.108173. PMID: 40741205; PMCID: PMC12304984.