Bacteriostatic Saline as a Local Anesthetic in Minor Eyelid Procedures

NCT ID: NCT05294640

Last Updated: 2025-07-08

Study Results

Results available

Outcome measurements, participant flow, baseline characteristics, and adverse events have been published for this study.

View full results

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE4

Total Enrollment

95 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-05-17

Study Completion Date

2023-02-21

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The investigators aim to assess whether bacteriostatic saline provides the same level of anesthesia as traditional local anesthesia while reducing pain associated with medication infusion in minor eyelid procedures

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Benzoyl alcohol is an aromatic alcohol that has been used in healthcare primarily as an antibacterial preservative agent in bacteriostatic saline. It has also been shown to have anesthetic properties, and has been demonstrated to cause less pain with infusion compared to lidocaine, while maintaining adequate pain relief. The use of bacteriostatic saline alone as an anesthetic for incisional procedures in the periocular area has not yet been studied. The purpose of this study was to determine whether bacteriostatic saline provides an adequate level of anesthesia for minor in-office eyelid procedures while allowing for reducing pain associated with medication infusion compared with traditional local anesthetic agents. To assess this, the investigators will recruit 150 patients aged 18 or older undergoing minor eyelid procedures including eyelid biopsies, chalazion removal from outpatient oculoplastics clinics at University of California, San Francisco. Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 fashion to undergo local anesthetic with either 1% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine or 0.9% bacteriostatic saline. Primary outcome measure will be pain level on a scale of 1-10 with regards to injection and procedure itself. These will be compared between the two groups. The investigators hypothesize that bacteriostatic saline is superior to lidocaine with epinephrine in terms of pain with injection, but will result in a similar pain level during the procedure.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Eyelid Tumor Eyelid Bump Eyelid Deformity Eyelid Abscess Eyelid Boil Eyelid Papilloma Anesthesia, Local Ophthalmology

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Caregivers
Patient and provider performing procedure will be masked to local anesthesia type

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Bacteriostatic Saline as Local Anesthesia

Patients receiving bacteriostatic saline as local anesthesia for in-office minor eyelid procedures at University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, Oculoplastics department

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

0.9% Bacteriostatic Local Anesthetic Injection

Intervention Type DRUG

Following research and procedural consent, local anesthetic injection will be carried out using a standard 1 cc of local anesthetic corresponding to the study arm (0.9% bacteriostatic saline or 1% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine). Prior to anesthetic administration, the procedure site will be cleaned using standard measures. A 30 gauge needle on a 3 centimeter cubed volume syringe will be utilized. Five minutes will be given for local anesthetic to take effect.

Eyelid Lesion Removal

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Following anesthesia administration, patient will proceed with recommended eyelid lesion removal. The procedure site will be cleaned according to standard protocol, and standard technique for lesion removal will be performed, which will vary according to type of lesion but may involve use of Westcott scissors, forceps, #15 or #11 blades or other oculoplastics administration. The exact procedural details will be at the discretion of the surgeon.

Lidocaine with Epinephrine as Local Anesthesia

Patients receiving lidocaine with epinephrine as local anesthesia for in-office minor eyelid procedures at University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, Oculoplastics department

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

1% Lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine Local Anesthetic Injection

Intervention Type DRUG

Following research and procedural consent, local anesthetic injection will be carried out using a standard 1 cc of local anesthetic consisting of a commercially available mixture of 1% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine. Prior to anesthetic administration, the procedure site will be cleaned using standard measures. A 30 gauge needle on a 3 centimeter cubed volume syringe will be utilized. Five minutes will be given for local anesthetic to take effect.

Eyelid Lesion Removal

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Following anesthesia administration, patient will proceed with recommended eyelid lesion removal. The procedure site will be cleaned according to standard protocol, and standard technique for lesion removal will be performed, which will vary according to type of lesion but may involve use of Westcott scissors, forceps, #15 or #11 blades or other oculoplastics administration. The exact procedural details will be at the discretion of the surgeon.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

0.9% Bacteriostatic Local Anesthetic Injection

Following research and procedural consent, local anesthetic injection will be carried out using a standard 1 cc of local anesthetic corresponding to the study arm (0.9% bacteriostatic saline or 1% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine). Prior to anesthetic administration, the procedure site will be cleaned using standard measures. A 30 gauge needle on a 3 centimeter cubed volume syringe will be utilized. Five minutes will be given for local anesthetic to take effect.

Intervention Type DRUG

1% Lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine Local Anesthetic Injection

Following research and procedural consent, local anesthetic injection will be carried out using a standard 1 cc of local anesthetic consisting of a commercially available mixture of 1% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine. Prior to anesthetic administration, the procedure site will be cleaned using standard measures. A 30 gauge needle on a 3 centimeter cubed volume syringe will be utilized. Five minutes will be given for local anesthetic to take effect.

Intervention Type DRUG

Eyelid Lesion Removal

Following anesthesia administration, patient will proceed with recommended eyelid lesion removal. The procedure site will be cleaned according to standard protocol, and standard technique for lesion removal will be performed, which will vary according to type of lesion but may involve use of Westcott scissors, forceps, #15 or #11 blades or other oculoplastics administration. The exact procedural details will be at the discretion of the surgeon.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

1. Age \>=18 years old
2. Undergoing clinic-based periocular procedure

Exclusion Criteria

1. Any other topical, oral or intravenous sedating medications given alongside procedure
2. Allergy to saline, lidocaine or epinephrine
3. Unable to provide consent due to cognitive impairment
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

110 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

University of California, San Francisco

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Robert Kersten, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of California, San Francisco

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

University of California at San Francisco

San Francisco, California, United States

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Wilson L, Martin S. Benzyl alcohol as an alternative local anesthetic. Ann Emerg Med. 1999 May;33(5):495-9. doi: 10.1016/s0196-0644(99)70335-5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 10216324 (View on PubMed)

Minogue SC, Sun DA. Bacteriostatic saline containing benzyl alcohol decreases the pain associated with the injection of propofol. Anesth Analg. 2005 Mar;100(3):683-686. doi: 10.1213/01.ANE.0000148617.98716.EB.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15728052 (View on PubMed)

Patterson P, Hussa AA, Fedele KA, Vegh GL, Hackman CM. Comparison of 4 analgesic agents for venipuncture. AANA J. 2000 Feb;68(1):43-51.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 10876451 (View on PubMed)

Miller L, Jensen MP, Stenchever MA. A double-blind randomized comparison of lidocaine and saline for cervical anesthesia. Obstet Gynecol. 1996 Apr;87(4):600-4. doi: 10.1016/0029-7844(95)00463-7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8602315 (View on PubMed)

Kruse RC, Kindle BJ, Wisniewski S, Presley J, Smith J, Sellon JL. Local Anesthesia Prior to Ultrasound-Guided Hip Joint Injections: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial of Bacteriostatic Saline versus Buffered Lidocaine. PM R. 2021 Aug;13(8):811-818. doi: 10.1002/pmrj.12489. Epub 2020 Nov 23.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32935453 (View on PubMed)

Kwiat DM, Bersani TA, Bersani A. Increased patient comfort utilizing botulinum toxin type a reconstituted with preserved versus nonpreserved saline. Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 2004 May;20(3):186-9. doi: 10.1097/01.iop.0000129012.09632.49.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15167724 (View on PubMed)

Hunt SV, Malhotra R. Bacteriostatic preserved saline for pain-free periocular injections: review. Eye (Lond). 2022 Aug;36(8):1546-1552. doi: 10.1038/s41433-021-01925-z. Epub 2022 Jan 11.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 35017698 (View on PubMed)

Yuen VH, Dolman PJ. Comparison of three modified lidocaine solutions for use in eyelid anesthesia. Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 1999 Mar;15(2):143-7. doi: 10.1097/00002341-199903000-00017.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 10189646 (View on PubMed)

Lugo-Janer G, Padial M, Sanchez JL. Less painful alternatives for local anesthesia. J Dermatol Surg Oncol. 1993 Mar;19(3):237-40. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-4725.1993.tb00342.x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8383150 (View on PubMed)

Oman KS, Fink R, Kleiner C, Makic MB, Wenger B, Hoffecker L, Mancuso M, Schmiege S, Cook P. Intradermal lidocaine or bacteriostatic normal saline to decrease pain before intravenous catheter insertion: a meta-analysis. J Perianesth Nurs. 2014 Oct;29(5):367-76. doi: 10.1016/j.jopan.2013.12.008.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25261140 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

Download supplemental materials such as informed consent forms, study protocols, or participant manuals.

Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

22-36276

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Cooling Anesthesia for Intravitreal Injection
NCT03732287 COMPLETED PHASE1/PHASE2
EXPAREL® for Pain After Tonsillectomy
NCT02444533 COMPLETED PHASE4
Reducing Pain of Lidocaine Injection
NCT02288364 COMPLETED PHASE4