In this study, the investigators seek to evaluate a novel tissue-cooling device for pain management during needle sticks and /or blood draw on the fingertips.
Patient compliance with laboratory testing is one of the most underrecognized challenges in developing a treatment plan for acute and chronically ill patients. The ability to offer alternatives to standard venipuncture blood draws would greatly increase a laboratory's ability to provide testing to patients and health care providers.The fingerstick blood draw has been used as an alternative. Aiming a less painful, potentially easier alternative we devised a novel that can be applied distally on the digit prior to the blood collection procedure and may provide analgesia through a liquid coolant that is run through tubes in the device to safely cool tissue to achieve numbing. We hypothesize that this device will safely and effectively reduce the pain associated with the fingertip pricks and increase the amount of capillary blood collected. Multiple punctures with a large lancet were a frequent cause of discomfort among patients.With this new device the discomfort will be reduced by its application followed by the numbness of the finger. The investigators plan to have 12 patients to complete the study. Subjects must be equal to greater than 18 years old and younger than 60 years older and may be any gender or Fitzpatrick skin type.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
6
Cooling digit device will be applied on subject's right hand ( fifth finger).
MGH Clinical Unit for Research Trials & Outcomes in Skin
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale
This scale will be used to record subject pain from the overall pain from the procedure for the treatment and control finger. There are 6 faces ranging from 0 no hurt to 10 hurts the worst.
Time frame: day 1
Blood Absorption Via Whatman 903 Filter Paper (Surface Area)
After the finger has been pricked, the finger will subsequently be held over a single-use Whatman 903 filter paper. Approximately every ten seconds after the prick, the filter paper will be gently applied to the blood drop to absorb the blood. This will be repeated on new locations of the filter paper until blood flow stops. At least one Whatman 903 filter paper will be used per finger prick. The Whatman 903 filter paper will be imaged.
Time frame: Day 1
Blood Absorption Via Whatman 903 Filter Paper (Drops of Blood)
After the finger has been pricked, the finger will subsequently be held over a single-use Whatman 903 filter paper. Approximately every ten seconds after the prick, the filter paper will be gently applied to the blood drop to absorb the blood. This will be repeated on new locations of the filter paper until blood flow stops. At least one Whatman 903 filter paper will be used per finger prick. The Whatman 903 filter paper will be imaged.
Time frame: Day 1
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