Effectiveness of the Eutectic Mixture of Local Anaesthetics Cream in the Management of Arteriovenous Fistula Needle Insertion Pain in Patients Undergoing Haemodialysis

Abstract

This review aimed to assess the effectiveness of the eutectic mixture of local anaesthetics (EMLA) cream in the management of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) needle insertion pain in adult patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD) compared with other alternative interventions. The main search was conducted in November 2020 and updated in December 2021. In the search strategy, keywords and synonyms were used and multiple databases were searched with no date limitation to ensure a comprehensive search that would yield all studies relevant to the review and minimise location bias. A total of 209 studies were found in this search and filtered. After filtering through these studies, only five studies were finally included in the review. EMLA-cream was found to be effective in reducing AVF needle insertion pain among adult patients undergoing HD. Despite EMLA cream’s effectiveness in reducing HD needle insertion pain and its fewer side effects, the findings of the included studies should be interpreted with caution, as there are some limitations, and further research is required.

Keywords: EMLA Cream; Pain; Dialysis; Arteriovenous Fistula.